Warriors: Everlasting Miracles II Turn 3: Restoration of the Sky
by Geasswolf
Summary: After being awakened by Alderheart, the mysterious black tom reveals himself to be Noctis Lucis Caleum, Prince of Lucis. Brought to the Clans by the same prophecy that had spread throughout them, Noctis joins them on their mission to drive out the rogues once and for all; but are the struggles between them too great of a threat to clear the sky once and for all?
1. Chapter 1: The Hero of Eos

Hello everyone and welcome back to Warriors: Everlasting Miracles II! I'm sorry that I haven't been keeping up with my updates as of late. College life and such, but I promise that I will finish this series, no matter what. Turn 3 throws Noctis, Crown Prince of Lucis from Final Fantasy XV, into the mix. I hope that you all enjoy this Turn and Noct's addition to the series.

* * *

Warriors: Everlasting Miracles II: Turn 3: Restoration of the Sky

Chapter 1: The Hero of Eos

 _Moonlight illuminated the sky_ above the grassy meadow where a dark-haired young man rested. His full name was Noctis Lucis Caelum, but his friends usually referred to him as Noct. He was the Crown Prince of Lucis, and also the hero of his world, Eos, stopping the plague known as the Starscourge from bringing forth eternal night. The cost of this act, however, was his life, a price he knew well about. Noctis let out a small groan as he slowly opened his eyes and got up on his feet.

 _Where am I?_ He wondered, the area looking unfamiliar to him. He heard a sudden bark and turned around to see Umbra, a black spitz-like dogs belonging Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, his betrothed. He saw the dog begin to run after it got his attention, Noctis now chasing after him. Noctis passed through countless trees until he saw a clearing past one more row of bushes, Lunafreya standing there.

"Luna…" He passed through the bush and saw her, the young woman greeting him with a smile. "What's going on here? Where are we?"

"This place has no name, but it is where I'll be watching over you for the time being." She answered.

"Watching…over me? Why would you need to do that? Eos is saved, isn't it?"

"It is, but now there's another world that needs your help." Noctis looked at her in confusion. "I know that you might not like it, but…I've been contacted by someone and you're the most reliable hero I could turn to."

"I think you mean the _only_ hero you could turn to." He joked. "On a serious note, this is a strange request. I mean, are there really other worlds out there?"

"Yes. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it's the truth." She assured him. "Again, you've been given another prophecy, but this one doesn't exactly pertain to you." Luna cleared her throat. "Embrace what you find in the shadows, for only they can clear the sky." Noctis pondered about her words for a second.

"Is this world also affected by something similar to the Starscourge?" Noctis asked, concern in his voice.

"I'm not sure. Nonetheless, they're asking for your help, Noctis."

"Right, and if they're from a different world it must really be important." He folded his arms, thinking. "I don't think I can really decline this request, can I? Not that I'm hesitant about it or anything…just baffled, more or less."

"You'll be okay. I'll always be watching over you, remember?" He nodded.

"Yeah. So…how will I even get to this other world?" He felt something rub against his leg and saw that it was Umbra. "I guess I should've figured out that one myself." He crouched down so that he could be at eye-level with the dog. "Ready to help me out again, buddy?" Umbra barked, Noctis petting him on the head afterwards. "Is there anything you know about this world, Luna? Anything at all?"

"Hmm…let's just say you and Umbra might not be friends in that world." She informed him, letting out a small giggle.

"Jokes coming from you? That's a first. I'm guessing you're just being that discreet for fun?"

"Sorry Noctis, but I know that you'll be in for a surprise when you figure out exactly where help is being requested from." Her gaze suddenly turned stern. "I really shouldn't be joking knowing the circumstances you'll be thrown into. Promise me that you'll be careful." _Careful? This world has Luna both joking and being serious. I'm really not sure what I have in store for me._

"Yeah, definitely." He assured her. "So…how does this all work?" He watched as Umbra lifted a paw and it started to suddenly glow. "Do I just…" He brought his hand out and once his hand and Umbra's paw met, a bright light blinded him, sending him into the mysterious world, Noctis still having no idea about what he should expect.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

 _"_ _He'll need to figure out how to walk and fend for himself in this world first."_

 _"_ _I guess you're right…but…I'm really confident that we need to look for SkyClan."_

Noctis began shifting in his sleep at the sound of unfamiliar voices. His blue eyes slowly opened and he was greeted by five pairs of eyes. The strangest part was that they all seemed to belong to cats, Noctis noticing the pointy ears right above them. _Cats? Not really the greeting I was expecting, but I can't complain, if I'm being honest._

"You're awake now, thank StarClan." Noctis' eyes widened as he saw the amber-eyed cat talk.

"Y-You can…talk." He stuttered. _This has to be some sort of dream...it has to be._

"Makes me wonder why this wasn't my first reaction when I came to this world." The violet-eyed tom stated.

"I guess seeing Kirito talk as a cat made everything seem normal to me." The hazel-eyed she-cat meowed.

"Hey, can we get to explaining how you cats can talk?" Noctis asked impatiently.

"You're the one talking too, you know." The amber-eyed she-cat let out a giggle.

"Right. I'm talking…to cats." He rubbed his head but he stopped abruptly when he felt two things protruding out of it. _What the…_ They felt pointy, but soft to the touch. Even his hands felt different, too. In fact, his whole body did. As he withdrew his hand from his head, his eyes went wide when he saw that he hand now was in the form of a paw. _No way…This is what she meant by I was talking as well…_ He gazed deeply at his paw, but then turned around as he felt a strange appendage moving, which he figured out was a tail.

"From your silence, I'm guessing that you're now realizing that you're a cat." The blind gray tom told him.

"I'm…actually…a cat." Noctis let the thought sink in before he quickly got to his paws and attempted to dart out of the den, the tom quickly tripping from being unfamiliar to the new way of walking.

"Do you really think this is a bad thing?" The cream she-cat asked him, padding over to where he was. "When I got to this world, I thought the exact opposite."

"So…you're not from here either?" She shook her head. _So, this isn't a dream. I'm…actually in a world filled with talking cats. Just what the hell is going on here?!_

"My name is Asuna, by the way. What's yours?" Noctis looked up at her. She seemed kind enough, but he was still hesitant to give out his name, simply turning his gaze away from her.

"It's the least you can give us. I did save you from the crystal you were stuck in." The dark ginger tom informed him as he walked over.

"I was…stuck in a crystal?"

"How else do you think you ended up in ThunderClan?" He said rhetorically. "I'm Alderheart. Over there is Jayfeather, Leafpool, and Lelouch. He also isn't from this world." He pointed at each cat with his tail. "And over there is Briarlight." Noctis kept his eyes locked on Jayfeather's sightless gaze, a pang of guilt hitting him as he was reminded of Ignis' blindness gained by protecting him. _I hope they're all doing okay now._

"I don't think explaining this all is the best idea, especially if we don't know his intentions." Jayfeather meowed.

"Now you're just being delusional. Every cat who has come to this world has always been helpful." Leafpool retorted as she walked over to Noctis. "We can help walk you over to your nest here. The floor isn't that comfortable." He slowly got to his paws, Leafpool and Asuna helping to guide him back to the nest he was originally resting on.

"Thanks." He turned his gaze away from the cats. "Noctis."

"What?" Leafpool tilted her head.

"That's my name."

"Well that wasn't so bad, was it?" Asuna let out a small giggle.

"Sorry I didn't say anything earlier. I'm just…trying to take all this in right now."

"It's no problem at all. This is probably one of the strangest things that has happened to you in your life, isn't it?" Lelouch asked.

"It's definitely one of them." He responded. "I'm sorry, but how did you and Asuna come to this world?"

"Well, my boyfriend, his cousin, and I were sent this strange file that included a game in it. We opened it, put on our AmuSphere devices, and now we're here. I'm pretty sure we fell from the sky to get here."

"I just woke up in the forest. I'm sure you've been treated the best out of us, Noctis."

"He's right, although being locked up in a crystal doesn't seem that comfortable." Asuna said. "Prince Noctis…that has a nice ring to it."

"Well, formerly a prince." Noctis looked over at the she-cat in shock. "Wait…how did you know that?" He wondered. _This definitely is one strange world if they know about that._

"Because you were apparently part of a prophecy that I was given to help Lelouch regain his memory." Alderheart explained. "We found you in the crystal and when we freed you, Lelouch's memory was awoken as well."

"Do you know how long I've been asleep in there?"

"I'd wager about five moons." The tom answered. "That's five months, since I'm sure you don't use Clan language where you're from." _Has it really been that long ever since Luna sent me to this world? It feels as if it just happened right before I woke up. She said they were in danger, but if I've been in some sort of stasis for that long…am I too late? No, this might just like when I was in my ten years in the crystal before going back to Insomnia._ "Still trying to absorb everything in?"

"Are you surprised?" Noctis responded with a small laugh. "I didn't even imagine a world with talking cats would exist, but, here I am now." _To be fair…this is pretty interesting. I'm sure Prompto would've loved to be here._

"We get that a lot." Alderheart looked out into the camp. "It's getting a bit late, but before you go to sleep, I'd like you to meet my father."

"He's the leader of ThunderClan." Asuna added, Noctis looking at Alderheart in surprise.

"Really? I guess I can't really say no to that then, huh?" The black tom slowly rose to his paws, shaking. _Damn, I thought this would be easier._

"Here, just watch me." Leafpool told the tom, walking slowly so he could follow her example. As he imitated her movement, he began to walk across the medicine cat's den. He quickly became accustomed to walking on his four paws, the concept now feeling as familiar to walking as a human.

"Thanks…Leafpool, was it?" She nodded. "Great." Noctis turned his blue gaze towards Alderheart. "I think I'm ready to see your father now."

"Alright, follow me." The pair left the medicine cat's den and entered the camp. Noctis saw a small group of cats in the distance, all their eyes locked onto him. As they were walking, he also admired the camp. _For cats, they seemed to be very organized._ The two approached a dark brown tabby tom, a dark ginger she-cat standing next to him.

"Alderheart, I assume this is the cat that you woke up?" The medicine cat nodded. "It's nice to meet you. I am Bramblestar, leader of ThunderClan. This is Squirrelflight, the deputy of this Clan who I'm lucky to have as my mate."

"It's a pleasure to meet you…" Squirrelflight paused, her gaze now fixed on the black tom.

"Noctis."

"Noctis. That's definitely not a warrior name." She stated with a small laugh. "Anyway, I'm sure I speak for us all when I say welcome to ThunderClan."

"Thanks." _I guess I should thank Lelouch and Asuna for coming here before me. They don't seem to have any trust issues about me at all, which takes a huge burden off my shoulders._ "I guess I should probably explain why I'm here to you both, huh?"

"Well, we believe that you're here to help the Clans, much like every other cat brought to us." Bramblestar answered. "Did you receive the prophecy about needing to clear the sky?"

"Yup. You all seem to be familiar with it." The three of them nodded. "Figures." _I guess they all know about that prophecy, but…there's so much more I need to know._ "Apparently someone in this world sent for me. Any idea on who it was?"

"StarClan." Alderheart answered. "They're our warrior ancestors that take responsibility for prophecies and the like."

"And they have the power to contact people from other worlds?"

"As of lately, yes. We hope that they didn't burden you, Noctis." Squirrelflight told him.

"It was unexpected, yeah, but I'm cool with it. It's not every day you're sent to a world full of cats that can talk." He responded. "Besides, it's not really like me to turn down a request about a world being in danger."

"So you've been to other worlds before?" Bramblestar asked, Noctis shaking his head.

"I probably should've worded that better…but I have saved my own world with my friends."

"Were they brought here with you?" Alderheart asked. "I only found one crystal with you in it."

"No, they're off living in the world we saved together."

"Oh…so you died to bring peace to your world?" Squirrelflight wondered, Noctis nodding his head. "Well then you and Lelouch have more than just being a prince in common."

"Is that so?" _Now I'm really curious about the story behind him, and I'm sure all this cats feel the same about me as well._

"I think you both might become good friends." Alderheart stated.

"Anything's better than being an enemy." Noctis looked around the camp. He saw for the most part that it was empty, except for a small group of cats standing in front of one of the dens. "I should probably let you both get some sleep for now. I don't think I'll disappear overnight."

"Right. There's a lot that needs to be explained to you, Noctis." Bramblestar said. "Alderheart will lead you over to the warriors' den where you'll be sleeping for as long as you're here."

"Oh, yeah, I'll do that!" Alderheart confirmed. "Goodnight." He gave his parents a quick nuzzle before they left the two. "Sorry about that."

"It's cool. Having a great relationship with your parents is always a good thing." Noctis assured him. "So…this warriors' den…is it comfortable?"

"It has the same bedding that you were in over at the medicine cat's den." Alderheart told him.

"Oh…" The dark ginger tom let out a small laugh.

"Aren't you a hero?"

"R-Right, but I'm still a normal guy, I mean, cat. Being outdoors really isn't my preference, even after all the camping I've been through. All the dirt and icky bugs…no thanks."

"Sounds like you'd rather live being pampered like a kittypet."

"Pampering is the last thing I'd want. If it means helping you all, a little bit of bugs and dirt won't hurt." Alderheart smiled. "You didn't really think I'd not want to stay here just because of that, did you?"

"Like I said, you're a hero, Noctis." The black tom let out a small chuckle.

"Call me Noct. That's what all my friends usually call me. You at least deserve that for saving me, Alderheart."

"Thanks, Noct, but don't think I'll be the only one calling you that. I'm sure everyone here would love to get to know you, although right now it might take a bit of time to do so."

"Why's that?"

"We're sort of in the middle of a crisis with these savage rogues that I found on a quest I went on moons ago. They made their way over here and have invaded Clan territory. Just recently, they took over ShadowClan, and only four of their Clanmates decided to leave."

"I guess I was brought here to help you all with this little situation then, huh?"

"Here's hoping, but first, you'll definitely need some fighting training."

"How hard can it be? I think I'll be fine, no sweat." They both reached the warriors' den, causing the four cats there to turn around and greet them.

"Kirito, Suguha, Nightheart, Sparkpelt, this is Noctis. He's the cat I saved at the Moonpool."

"Sup? I'm Kirito. Suguha over there is my cousin." The other black tom stated.

"Right, the two cats Asuna mentioned that aren't from this world either."

"That would be us. It's nice to meet you, Noctis." A small blush appeared on Suguha's face. "Oh!" She bowed her head, Noctis becoming flustered. "I forgot that you're a prince!"

"N-No, you don't have to worry about that, Suguha." He assured her, causing her to bring her head back up.

"Sorry!"

"No worries." He turned his gaze over to Nightheart. "You must be related to Lelouch. Are you his sister?" Nightheart let out a giggle.

"I'm his daughter, actually." Noctis looked at her in shock. "Did father not tell you anything?"

"Actually, he didn't. I guess I should've known since you have a warrior-esque name." He stated, only to look back at her in surprise again. "Wait, his daughter!? But he's—."

"Not originally a cat?" Kirito stated. "We were as surprised as you were when we found out."

"Father knows it's strange, and so do I, but he and mother love each other very much. He's even promised that he'd live here with us for the rest of his life."

"I guess that's really some true love, huh?" He stated. "I didn't mean to offend you if I did, Nightheart."

"Not at all, Noctis." He felt a paw touch his shoulder and looked over at the orange tabby.

"Hi! I'm Sparkpelt, Alderheart's sister! It's so cool to meet another cat not from here! I can't wait to learn all about you, Noctis!"

"Oh, um…the pleasure's all mine…I guess." He responded, the she-cat's peppy demeanor being unexpected. "I guess I have more than enough help in finding a place to sleep in there?"

"Actually, Noct…" His gaze turned to face Alderheart. "I was thinking you could sleep in the medicine cat's den; just for tonight. We don't want cats worrying about seeing someone new right when they wake up."

"Gotcha. I'm not here to cause trouble, after all." Noctis looked back at the others. "It was nice meeting you all."

"Same here. Hope you sleep well, Noct." Kirito responded. "It's alright if I call you that, right?"

"Whichever's fine."

"Awesome! We'll see ya' tomorrow then!" Kirito waved a paw as he and Alderheart walked towards the medicine cat's den.

"I bet you weren't expecting Sparkpelt to be like that, huh?"

"With you as a reference? No, not at all." The two shared a small laugh.

"She means well, though. She's a great warrior." He told her. "You know, I said you were sleeping in the medicine cat's den, but are you even tired?"

"Far from it…but I'm never one to turn down an opportunity for more sleep."

"I had a feeling you'd say that." As they were about to enter the den, Lelouch and Asuna walked out.

"Oh, hey you two. We were just going to go to sleep right now." Asuna told them. "Lelouch, you'd think after just waking up you'd be, well…awake."

"Trust me, I am. There's really no reason for me to stay awake, though."

"Maybe some poppy seeds could help?" Alderheart suggested, but the tom shook his head.

"I'll be fine." He assured the medicine cat. "I'm guessing you met all the cats over there, Noctis?" Lelouch asked, quickly glancing over at the warriors' den.

"Yup. They all greeted me with open arms." He responded. "I still can't believe a world like this exists. Having other humans in the same situation makes it even more surreal."

"You'll get used to it eventually." Asuna assured him. "We can help you find a spot inside the warriors' den right now if you want."

"Noct is sleeping in the medicine cat's den tonight, just to ease the shock of the others when they wake up." Alderheart explained.

"Oh, okay then. Goodnight you two." Asuna and Lelouch both headed towards the warriors' den, the two toms now walking into the medicine cat's den.

"Hi you two. How'd the meeting with Bramblestar go?" Leafpool asked.

"It went without a hitch. They seemed to trust me with no problem at all."

"With what's going on, we'll need any help we can get." Jayfeather told him.

"The rogues, right? Alderheart explained the gist of it. I'm sure I'll learn more about it tomorrow."

"It seems like you both are really great friends already." Leafpool stated with a smile. "Anyway, we should get some sleep. It's been a long night."

"It's okay if Noct sleeps here just for tonight, right?" Alderheart asked.

"Yeah, as long as he doesn't get in the way in the morning." Jayfeather said, his mother giving him a small shove.

"You're more than welcome, Noctis." She assured him.

"Thanks." He padded over to his bedding and rested down on it. Alderheart watched as the tom shifted restlessly, trying to find the spot where he was the most comfortable.

"If you're gonna be moving like that all night, you might as well sleep in the forest." The blind medicine cat grumbled.

"What's his deal?" Noctis whispered as Alderheart began to create a bed of moss next to him.

"He's like that to everyone. You're lucky you don't have to be in here with him working…but his heart's in the right place when it matters most." He assured him.

"If you say so." Noctis crossed his forepaws in front of him and rested his head down. _It's still not as comfortable, but I need to get used to it, especially if this world needs my help. Is the rogue threat really so bad that they needed me? I'll probably find out in the future, but tomorrow, I need to figure out what skills I still have to help the Clans._


	2. Chapter 2: Quick Training

Chapter 2: Quick Training

 _Noctis slowly opened his_ eyes the next morning, the sudden clamoring of voices outside the medicine cat's den waking him up.

"You're finally awake. You have a lot of guests outside." Asuna meowed as he got up from his bedding.

"They've been like this for a while. You definitely love your sleep, Noct." Alderheart said with a chuckle.

"You wouldn't be the first to realize that." The black tom responded. "I'm guessing word came out that I'm here?" The others nodded. "Might as well get out to see everyone then."

"Get it over with already so they'll finally be quiet." The blind tom demanded. Noctis passed through the brambles of the medicine cat's den and was greeted by a crowd of cats. _This is way more than I anticipated._ He thought. They all stared at him, Noctis waiting for some sort of reaction.

"He sure looks like he's not a Clan cat." One of the cats stated.

"But he probably can help us just as good as the others not from the Clans, right?" Another responded. Noctis watched as the crowd suddenly split, making room for Bramblestar to approach him.

"Did you sleep well?" The leader asked.

"Surprisingly. I didn't expect much from a bed of moss, but it was comfortable enough." Noctis glanced over at the crowd of cats. "So…these are all ThunderClan cats, huh?"

"Correct."

"There's a bunch. I wasn't expecting this much cats."

"Well there are some that are out hunting and on border patrols. Add the ShadowClan cats I told you about yesterday and you've got a pretty large amount of cats." The leader stated. "Noctis, I know that this is probably asking for a lot, but right now, I need you to go out and train on how to fight like a warrior. Usually I'd allow you to get accustomed to ThunderClan, but the situation is dire."

"Right, the rogues." Noctis stated. "I'm fine with training from the get-go, but…I might need something to eat first."

"Of course. The fresh-kill pile's over there." The leader pointed his tail over where the prey was. "Your trainer will meet you after you're done."

"Got it." The black tom walked over towards the fresh kill pile, wandering eyes of many colors still watching his every move. _This is starting to get a bit uncomfortable._ He thought, reaching the fresh-kill pile and scanning over it. _Mice, birds...if Ignis was here to cook them, maybe I'd eat, but raw?_

"A mouse is usually a good place to start." He turned and saw that it was Kirito.

"I'm guessing this was as hard for you the first time?"

"Yeah, but it's not as bad as it looks. I do wish there was some fish, but the fishing belongs to RiverClan."

"Maybe I should be there instead. I'd love to learn how to fish as a cat."

"A prince that loves fishing? I'd never thought I see that."

"I'm not really a stereotypical type of prince. Fishing, video games, sleeping, that's my thing."

"Well then we've got way more in common than you think, Noct." Kirito stated, a huge smile on his face. "Anyway, go on and pick a mouse. I promise it's not bad." Noctis took one from the pile and sat down, placing it in front of his forepaws. Without hesitation, he took a bite and slowly began to chew before swallowing. "So…"

"It's not bad at all." Noctis took another bite of his mouse. "So, how's fighting like as a cat?"

"It's pretty much how you'd expect it to be. Leaping, scratching, biting. Agility is definitely a big part of it all."

"Seems like something I'll catch on to quickly, hopefully."

"You should be fine. Lionblaze is a great mentor. He's trained every cat here not from this world."

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything here." Noctis and Kirito both turned around to see a blue-eyed silver and white tabby she-cat, along with a smaller gray she-cat next to her. "Hi, you must be Noctis."

"That's me."

"Hey Ivypool and Twigpaw. We're not blocking anything you want, are we?" Kirito asked.

"You're both fine. I just wanted to tell Noctis that he can come to us when he's done so that we can go out to train." Ivypool explained.

"I thought Lionblaze was going to train me…not that I doubt your skills, Ivypool." Noctis replied.

"It's okay. Bramblestar thought it'd be a good idea to train you since I'm already training Twigpaw. She's my apprentice." Noctis looked over at the smaller she-cat, who let out a smile.

"Don't worry, Noct, you're in good paws still." Kirito assured him.

"He's right. Ivypool's a great mentor." Twigpaw added.

"Well then, can't wait to train with you both." Noctis took one more bite from his mouse, looking down at it and realizing that he had just finished it. "Alright, let's get going then."

"Good luck, Noct." Kirito meowed before the three made their way out of the camp. Ivypool took the lead, Noctis and Twigpaw following behind her.

"Nightheart was telling me all about you last night, Noctis. She seemed so excited to meet another cat that wasn't from here."

"Really? She seemed nice, but she didn't give off an excited vibe. I got that mostly from Sparkpelt." He responded. "I guess she takes the cool and calm demeanor from Lelouch."

"Definitely, but when she was young, she took most of my traits at that age, too, which was a blessing and a pain." Ivypool meowed, letting out a small giggle.

"So, you're her mother then, aren't you?" Noctis realized, Ivypool nodding her head. "I wouldn't have ever guessed that without you hinting at it. She looks so much like her father."

"You're not the first to say that." Ivypool said. "Our family's really been through a lot. I'd love to tell you all about it, but we've got some training to do."

"Right." As much as Noctis wanted to ask more questions, he knew that they could wait after his training. The three entered a small clearing in the forest, Ivypool turning to face the other two cats that were behind her.

"Twigpaw, I know that I've taught you some combat moves, so some of this might seem redundant, but I'd still like you to practice a bit." The apprentice nodded her head. "Okay, the first thing we should go over is unsheathing your claws. Can you do that, Noctis?" The black tom examined his right forepaw and watched as his claws suddenly became visible.

"Whoa…that's actually pretty cool." He sheathed back his claws and unsheathed them again. "So I'm guessing that this is a very crucial part in combat as a cat?"

"Definitely. When training, we usually have our claws sheathed, but when a battle comes, you'll want them out. I know it's a really basic thing, but since you're not from this world, I wanted to make sure you knew how to do it." Ivypool replied. "Okay, so next is paw strikes. You'll want to swipe your paws with reason, and not just mindlessly attacking. Think of your moves ahead of time, such as your target for your attack on your foe. I'm sure you can guess how attacking with your paws works." Noctis swiped his paw quickly downwards in front of him. "Right. Now, one very important thing while fighting is pouncing. To get the upper hand, you'll want to pin your opponent down to the ground." Ivypool laid down on the grass. "Twigpaw, can you demonstrate how to pin?"

"Okay!" The apprentice walked over to where Ivypool was and placed her paws on her shoulders.

"Right. Now, you might not be able to shake away from your opponent, and now that you're pinned, your face and underside is an easy target. What you can do is use your hindlegs to kick your foe off of you." Ivypool pushed her hindlegs softly onto Twigpaw's stomach, the apprentice moving off of her. "Then, you can quickly roll back onto your paws and be prepared to fight again." Ivypool demonstrated the maneuver. "Do you want a little practice, Noctis?"

"Sure, whatever you think…" Ivypool leaped towards the tom, knocking him down to the ground, the she-cat keeping him in place.

"Another thing about combat is that you'll need to be very quick on your paws to evade anything. One thing to remember is never think a fight is ever just one-on-one. If you put an enemy in a life-threatening situation, don't think backup won't come to save them." She explained. "Oh, I almost forgot about using your teeth."

"I was wondering about that, but I'm sure it's just as simple as biting whenever you see an opening."

"Right. Make sure you protect your neck at all times. One bite or deep wound there almost always means death." She informed him. "Okay, now try and kick me off and get back to your paws." Noctis nodded and saw Ivypool's paws suddenly approach his face. He moved his head quickly to evade her strikes, but sometimes she was one step ahead and landed a hit on him. With the weight off of his shoulders, he used his hindpaw to kick Ivypool off and once she was, Noctis rolled onto his stomach and got up.

"How was that?"

"Good, but maybe try to spend less time evading and immediately try kicking your foe off." Ivypool looked over at Twigpaw. "Anything you want to add to help Noctis?"

"I think you covered everything well, Ivypool." The apprentice told her.

"I hope so. The last thing I want to hear is Noctis getting hurt because I didn't teach him something."

"You don't have to worry about me. Learning the basics was all I really needed." He assured her. "Thanks for teaching me, by the way."

"You're welcome. I'm actually really honored that Bramblestar gave me this opportunity. Like Kirito said, Lionblaze trained him, Asuna, Suguha, and Lelouch. Come to think of it, I had some big paws to fill today."

"Great, now I'll be the one worrying if I let you down." Noctis said with a laugh. "Are we done for the day?"

"I think so, unless you have any sort of questions about combat." The tom shook his head.

"Not that I can think of, but I just wanted to test something before we go." He told her.

"Take your time. It'd be good to hone your skills as a cat." Noctis stood still and let out a breath. Suddenly, a transparent blue sword appeared in front of him, Ivypool and Twigpaw watching in awe. With a flick of his right paw, Noctis sent the sword forward, planting it into the ground a few pawsteps away. He then disappeared, only to reappear where the sword was, blue particles forming after he warped. Noctis noticed that although the sword penetrated the ground, there was no visible puncture where he was standing. _I guess warping as a cat is more for travel than attacking._

"That was amazing!" Noctis looked back when he heard Twigpaw cheer. "How'd you do all of that? Sure, I've seen Kirito move fast, but I've never seen something like that, Noct!"

"It's a little something I'm able to do back where I'm from. I wasn't really sure that it would work at all, actually." He admitted.

"Is there anything else you're able to do?" Ivypool wondered, a hint of excitement in her voice.

"Yeah, but I'd need to test it all out first. I'm sure the rogues will never see any of it coming."

"Take all the time you need." The she-cat insisted. _Right, now let me actually try and wield something._ Like before, a transparent blue sword appeared in front of him, but instead of throwing it, the sword suddenly disappeared, Noctis' forepaws becoming enveloped in a blue glow before disappearing. He swung an unsheathed paw down and felt no difference in the action. He then ran a short distance and returned back to his starting position. _It feels the same…but maybe if I switch weapons…_ Noctis then made it so that a transparent greatsword appeared in front of him, and, like the sword before, it disappeared and caused his forepaws to glow. The black tom swiped a paw forward and noticed how much slower the attack was, as well as how fatigued he felt after it. Again, he began to run, but this time, Ivypool and Twigpaw noticed how sluggish Noctis now was, the tom beginning to pant for his breath as he trudged back to his starting position.

"Are you okay?" Twigpaw asked him.

"Yeah, it's just because of the weapon my movements are trying to mimic. It feels exactly like if I was actually holding it." He switched back to his default sword movements and suddenly felt more agile. _I guess my powers need to be capped somehow. I wouldn't want to use actual weapons on cats in the first place, evil or not._

"Kirito can do something similar when he fights. A light covers his paws for the whole time he's using it though, unlike yours." The apprentice told him. "There has to be more that you can do, right?"

"Yeah, but I don't think I'll be able to do it at the moment. I need something specific for it."

"I'll go get it for you!" She insisted, causing the tom to laugh.

"If you can find something with elemental energy, be my guest." Twigpaw let out a sigh. "I'm guessing you can't, huh?"

"Yeah…but I'm sure whatever you need it for would be awesome!" _It would be overkill in this world. I'm sure my magic works differently here, too, but I'm not exactly sure when I'll be able to figure that out._

"Okay you two, I think we're done for today. Let's get going back to camp." Ivypool stated. The she-cat took the lead, while the apprentice walked next to the tom as they returned home.

"What is that thing around your neck, Noct?" Twigpaw wondered.

"I didn't mean to bring it up, but I'm also curious. It's too thin to be a kittypet collar." Ivypool added.

"Oh, it's a ring that my father gave me. Usually it goes around a human's finger, but since I'm a cat now, I was brought here wearing it like this." _I'm not even sure if it works here, but I don't want to use it unless it's absolutely necessary._

"Did your father also give you that thing around your left paw?" The apprentice asked.

"No, this is just a glove. It's more of an accessory than anything." Twigpaw tilted her head in confusion. "I don't need to wear it, but I do." He explained.

"Oh. Twolegs are so weird sometimes."

"Twigpaw! Be a bit respectful." Ivypool scolded.

"Sorry, Ivypool! Oh, and you too, Noct."

"Don't sweat it. What I just said does sound weird if you're not a human."

The three made their way through the thorn tunnel and into the ThunderClan camp. Lelouch was the first to approach the three, Ivypool greeting him with a lick to the cheek.

"I heard Bramblestar assigned you to train Noctis today." He told his mate, who nodded, a proud smile on her face.

"I didn't expect it, either, but I'm sure I got the job done."

"Definitely. I may not fight as great as any of the cats normally from here, but I think I got the hang of it." Noctis stated. "Ivypool's a good trainer. Twigpaw's lucky to be learning from her." Lelouch's violet gaze touched the apprentice, who looked away. Noctis noticed that her usually happy behavior changed to one of sorrow.

"You can say hi to Lelouch, Twigpaw. He won't hurt you." Ivypool told her. "I told her this morning that since you regained your memory, the memories you had when you woke up with amnesia are gone."

"Right…" Lelouch muttered. "Twigpaw, I know I can't remember any time we've spent together, but I'd love for you to tell me everything that we've done before. I'd love to get to know you. It'll be fun, I promise." Twigpaw looked up at Lelouch, who let out a gentle smile. Twigpaw reciprocated the same look back.

"Okay. There's so much that I can tell you. It'll seem a bit weird, but I'll be helping you, Lelouch, just like you've helped me before." She told him.

"I guess I'll leave you three alone for today then." Noctis meowed. "Thanks again for the training, Ivypool. I appreciate it."

"It was nothing. We'll see you later, Noctis."

"Bye, Noct!" Twigpaw waved as the black tom left the three cats. As he was walking, Noctis noticed a pale gray she-cat approach him.

"Um…hey." He greeted, unsure of where to start.

"Hi. You must be Noctis. Every cat was talking about you when I got back from hunting this morning." She told him. "I'm Dovewing, Ivypool's sister."

"I didn't know she had one. It's nice to meet you."

"She didn't mention me, huh? Typical." Dovewing rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I hope we can be great friends for as long as you're here."

"Likewise." Noctis replied. "Not to be rude, but what made you want to approach me?"

"Well, other than to meet you and introduce myself, I guess I like meeting cats from other worlds. It started with Lelouch, and I guess they've all been really easy to get along with. I'm sure you're the same."

"I could be. That all depends."

"Noct!" Noctis turned around to see Alderheart approaching him.

"Hey, Alderheart. What's up?"

"Nothing, just checking up on you to see how you're doing." He answered. "Plus, getting my warrior name didn't really stop Jayfeather from yelling at me all the time." Dovewing let out a laugh.

"I'm sure Asuna being here at least has mitigated it, right?"

"Yup. Thank StarClan for bringing her back here."

"I'm guessing he has a soft spot for her?" Noctis said.

"It's more than a spot, that's for sure." The medicine cat replied. "I'll see you later, Noct. Have fun getting to know the rest of the Clan!" Alderheart left the two and headed back to the medicine cat's den.

"Noct, huh? It rolls off the tongue a bit better. You don't mind if I call you that, right?" Dovewing asked.

"Go right ahead. Every cat has heard either name somehow." He replied. Noctis noticed that suddenly there were more cats approaching him and Dovewing, mostly due to the fact that he was there. _At least they don't seem afraid of me or anything._

"Hey, we don't mean to interrupt you and Dovewing, but we just wanted to introduce ourselves." One of the cats, a yellow tabby, stated. "I'm Fernsong, and these two are my sisters, Hollytuft and Sorrelstripe."

"They're Lionblaze and Cinderheart's children." Dovewing informed the black tom.

"Oh, well I haven't really met either of them, but I've heard that your father is a great fighter."

"Yup, he's one of the best in ThunderClan." Hollytuft said. "Mother's great, as well."

"We're sure that you'll feel at home here, Noctis. It's the least we all could do for all the help you're offering." Sorrelstripe told him.

"Oh, look who's coming over here." Dovewing's gaze caused Noctis to turn and see a golden tabby tom along with a gray tabby she-cat. "Hi Lionblaze, hi Cinderheart."

"Hi Dovewing." The she-cat responded. "It's nice to finally meet you, Noctis. I'm Cinderheart. Sparkpelt couldn't stop talking about you while we were out hunting today."

"I have that effect on some cats." He responded smoothly.

"You and Lionblaze would get along perfectly. You both seem a little boastful." Cinderheart said with a giggle, causing her mate to blush and her children to laugh.

"She meant that in a good way, I hope." Lionblaze meowed. "Anyway, I'm Lionblaze. I heard that Ivypool trained you in my place today. I was out hunting this morning, but I'm sure Ivypool taught you everything necessary for battling."

"Yup. It seemed all self-explanatory. Just how I'd expect cats to fight."

"That's good to hear. We know StarClan's asking a lot for requesting your help, so try to stay safe in any battles you'll be in." The golden warrior told him. "Dovewing, why don't we introduce Noctis to the rest of the Clan, like old times?" The gray warrior smiled.

"That sounds great. Noct, just follow us and we'll make sure you know every cat here."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Nighttime fell in the forest. For the most part, Noctis had spent the rest of the day getting to know the Clanmates he'd be staying with for his time in ThunderClan. He also met Tigerheart, and his mother, Tawnypelt, the two explaining why they were now in ThunderClan, along with everything they had been through up to this point. There was still one cat that Noctis didn't speak to, and that was Rowanstar, ShadowClan's leader. He seemed to be tagging alongside Bramblestar for most of the day, and he didn't want to bother the two. As Noctis was ready to head into the warriors' den, he heard Bramblestar call his name. The tom turned around to see the two leaders standing in the middle of the camp. He walked over to the two, wondering what they wanted.

"I'm sure that you've been introduced to your Clanmates, but you and Rowanstar haven't met." The ThunderClan leader told him.

"Right. I assumed you both were busy with leader duties, so I didn't want to be a distraction." He looked over at the ginger tom. "I'm sorry for what happened to your Clan."

"My Clanmates have made a grave mistake, but I'm sure they'll learn once the time comes." Rowanstar responded. "I hope you'll be of help in the effort to rid of those rogues."

"That's what I was brought here for. I'll make sure not to mess up." He assured him. Bramblestar looked over at the black tom.

"Noctis, there's been something I've wanted to ask you." Noctis' gaze touched the ThunderClan leader's amber eyes. "Ivypool reported to me that you've maintained some skills from back in your world. Do you mind showing us both?"

"Sure." The two leaders watched as a translucent blue sword appeared in front of Noctis. With a flick of his paw, Noctis flung the sword and disappeared, only to appear where the sword was moments later. "That's my warping ability. I can also change how my attacks work." They saw the sword appear in front of Noctis again and saw it change into two daggers. Once they disappeared, the leader's watched the tom's agility suddenly increase, the two having trouble keeping up with him. He then came to a stop. "They also change my movement, too, if you didn't notice."

"Very interesting. I'm sure you'll be just what we need to surprise the enemy." Bramblestar told him. "Noctis, tomorrow we're going to attack the rogues. I know you trained today, but I don't believe it's safe for you to enter combat so soon."

"I disagree." Rowanstar meowed. "If we want to end this battle quickly, we need Noctis to join in the fight. I'm not going to let my Clanmates be ruled by the rogues any longer."

"We have to think about him as well, Rowanstar. If he gets hurt…"

"We'll have cats from every Clan backing him up if he does." The two continued to argue back and forth, a conclusion now seeming far from being achieved. Noctis took the opportunity to voice his own opinion.

"I'll join in the fight." Bramblestar looked over at him, concern filling his amber eyes.

"Are you sure?"

"I'd have to fight in this world at some point, right? Might as well get it over with." Noctis could tell that Bramblestar doubted his choice, but his mind was made up.

"Very well. Go get some sleep, and tomorrow, I'll instruct you and the others about the plan." Noctis nodded and made his way over to the warriors' den. Since cats would always be out hunting or training, he didn't really see the den at it's fullest until now.

"Noctis, over here!" He saw Asuna calling out to him, the tom walking over to her. He saw that she and some of the others had helped make room for him between Kirito and Lelouch. "So, how was your first day here?" She asked as he rested down on the bedding below.

"It went well, although meeting everyone here was a bit too much for me." He admitted.

"I remember that feeling all too well." Kirito told him with a small laugh. "Even I mix up my names sometimes still."

"You'll get the hang of it all eventually." Suguha assured him. "How'd your training with Ivypool go today?"

"I'm sure it went well. This is mother we're talking about." Nightheart meowed.

"It did. I'm sure I'll be prepared for tomorrow." Ivypool looked over at him, worry in her eyes.

"You're already going into your first battle with only a day of training?"

"I'm not doubting her mentoring abilities, but are you sure that you're ready?" Lelouch asked. "Those rogues don't follow any rules. They'll kill you as soon as there's an opening." Unfazed, Noctis nodded his head.

"Yeah, I'm ready." He looked over at Ivypool. "If anything happens to me, don't blame yourself, Ivypool. I really just want to end the rogue problem as soon as possible."

"Nothing we say will change your mind, huh?" The violet-eyed tom wondered, Noctis shaking his head.

"No need to worry, Noct. We've got your back tomorrow, no problem." Kirito told him, letting out a yawn.

"Well you better get your rest. Can't have you tired during the fight tomorrow." The blue-eyed tom replied.

"That goes for all of you as well. Make sure you stay safe out there." Asuna meowed. Noctis rested his head down and closed his eyes. He was ready to fight, peace for the Clans just pawsteps away from his grasp.


	3. Chapter 3: Enigmatic Retreat

Chapter 3: Enigmatic Retreat

 _Noctis looked around in_ awe at the mass of cats now situated on ShadowClan's border with ThunderClan. Sure he was told about the other two Clans, WindClan and RiverClan, but seeing them here was a sight he never expected.

"It looks like Twigpaw isn't the only one surprised." Suguha meowed with a giggle. "I'm sure you're used to large crowds though, Noctis."

"Yeah, of people, not cats, although, I think I'd prefer cats." Noctis saw Twigpaw next to Ivypool, Nightheart, and Lelouch. She seemed nervous. "Do you want to go see Twigpaw with me?" The light ginger she-cat nodded and the two walked over to where the apprentice was.

"Hi Twigpaw. We just wanted to see how you're feeling." Suguha told her.

"Thanks you two. I-I'm okay." She muttered, quickly sheathing and unsheathing her claws.

"Don't worry, Twigpaw. I'll do my best to look after you." Ivypool said.

"We're not in the same group, but father and I will try to do the same." Nightheart added.

"Hey guys!" Kirito meowed as he pushed through the crowd to join them. "You ready for your first battle, Twigpaw?" Suguha gave her cousin a shove. "Ow!"

"Can't you tell that she's nervous? A headstrong attitude is the last thing she needs to mimic." She scolded him. "Being careful is the most important thing, Twigpaw. We'll all try our best to make sure you're safe."

"Thanks, Suguha." _They're all so nice. I can't slip up and make them risk their lives for my sake._ The apprentice thought before Bramblestar's meow broke out through the mass of cats.

"Cats of all Clans, today we drive the rogues out of ShadowClan once and for all." He declared.

"Yes." Rowanstar meowed, padding next to the ThunderClan leader. "For the sake of the Clans, it must be done today!"

"Those are some big words coming from the leader who allowed the rogues to live nearby them!" Onestar retorted. "We're all here cleaning up the mess _you_ made!"

"Maybe WindClan cats can finally learn to mind their business for once!" He hissed.

"Enough!" Mistystar brought herself between the two. "What chance do we have if we're still fighting amongst each other? We all know that the rogues need to be driven out, there's no denying that."

"Right. At least for now, can we please work together?" Bramblestar added, the two fighting leaders not sharing a single glance. As Twigpaw watched, Ivypool placed her tail on her shoulder.

"Are you ready?"

"Y-Yeah, but…I'm worried about my sister."

"Your sister?" Noctis didn't really see another apprentice around ThunderClan. It was possible that she was older, but even then Ivypool was the closest she-cat to Twigpaw that he'd seen in camp.

"Her name's Violetpaw." Ivypool answered. "She was one of the cats who had decided to stay with the rogues."

"Oh. What does she look like? I don't want to hurt her by accident out there."

"She's black and white, and has yellow eyes." Twigpaw answered.

"Got it. I'll watch for her."

"She should be fine. You all have nothing to worry about." A new voice chimed in and approached the group. Noctis saw that it was Tigerheart. The only time he talked to him was to introduce himself, but he remembered Dovewing acting a bit off when she introduced him. Ironically enough, Dovewing was next to him, but she seemed normal. _Something's strange between those two._ "She's strong and smart. I'm also sure no Clan cat is actually going to hurt an apprentice."

"Thank you, Tigerheart. I hope you're right." Twigpaw told the ShadowClan cat. Noctis saw a look of concern in Ivypool's gaze, her tail tip twitching back and forth in annoyance. _I guess Ivypool doesn't like Tigerheart for some reason?_ He saw the group of cats begin to move. To get ready, he swapped his sword with daggers, his pawsteps now lighter than usual.

"Whoa." He looked next to him and saw that it was Tigerheart. "I'm not sure what all of that was, but it was pretty cool."

"I've been getting that a lot, lately." Noctis responded. _He seems fine. What's Ivypool's deal?_ He brought the thought to the back of his head and continued to sneak with the others across onto ShadowClan's territory. The cats all began to spread out as they headed towards the enemy camp. As they did, four of the ShadowClan cats allied with the rogues appeared and saw that group of cats. The cat in the front let out a yowl.

"Intruders! We're under attack! Everyone, back to camp!" The she-cat and the other three ran back to alert the others.

"Get in your groups!" Bramblestar ordered. Back in camp, the leader has assigned everyone to a group who would fight alongside each other. Noctis was grouped with Kirito, Suguha, Ivypool, and Twigpaw.

"Stay safe out there." Lelouch told Ivypool, giving her a small lick to the forehead.

"Do you forget who you're talking to?" She responded with a hint of laughter. "Just make sure to keep our daughter safe." He gave her a nod before he and Nightheart ran over to join Birchfall, Lionblaze, Dovewing, and Tigerheart.

"Alright, let's get this started!" Kirito darted forward, followed by the others. As they got closer to ShadowClan's camp, Noctis saw who they were up against. _There's so many of them. I thought we'd be at an advantage, but it seems we're evenly matched._ Yowls of battle suddenly broke through the forest as the two forces finally clashed. Noctis ran towards a dark brown tom and leaped towards him, but realized that he suddenly couldn't unsheathe his claws. _What?!_ He knocked the tom to the ground and began swinging his forepaws at his face. Once the tom tried to bite at his neck, Noctis jumped off of him. He then ran towards him, but quickly sidestepped and hit him with a paw, quickly running behind him and doing the same, his speed obviously being something the tom had never seen before.

"I got him, Spikefur!" Noctis turned but was too late to react once a dark gray tom leaped towards him and pinned him down. As unsheathed claws began to approach his face, Noctis dodged them with ease. He tried using his hindpaws to push him off, but he was too weak. _I need to switch my weapon, fast!_ From the side of his opponent's head, he saw his sword appear. Once he saw it disappear, he used his hindpaws again, this time, knocking the cat off of him.

"You okay, Scorchfur?" Spikefur asked.

"Yeah. It seems like ThunderClan's gotten another cat not from this world. Just look at him. He's definitely not a kittypet." The gray tom stated.

"Realizing that won't do you any good." Noctis looked up at a nearby tree and launched his sword towards it, warping towards one of the branches. He saw that the two were confused as to where he went. He switched to his lance and once his paws glowed, he leaped down, claws unsheathed. He used Spikefur to break his fall and dug his claws into his shoulder, causing him to yowl in pain. Scorchfur tried to attack him, but he quickly leaped away.

"You okay?" Scorchfur wondered, helping his Clanmate up.

"You better help your friend get out of here before the same thing happens to you." Noctis warned. Scorchfur scowled at the remark.

"C'mon, let's go." He stood beside Spikefur, Noctis watching as the two slowly retreated. He looked around to see how the rest of his group was doing. Kirito and Suguha seemed in sync with each other, being able to take on three cats together. He then noticed Twigpaw pinned to the ground by a black tom.

"Twigpaw!" With his lance still activated, he hurled it towards the two, quickly reappearing in mid-air and tackling the tom off of the apprentice. Noctis then assaulted the tom with leaping strikes, his lance helping him become proficient with attacks while he was off of the ground. "Get lost!" He watched as the tom fled and looked over at Twigpaw. "You alright?"

"Yeah, thanks, Noct."

"Don't mention it." He looked out and surveyed the rest of the fighting cats. So far, it looked like they were on the winning side. "Wanna take a breather?"

"I'm okay. Let's go help some of the others." As she was about to run off, Twigpaw stopped and looked over at Onestar.

"Everything alright?" Noctis asked.

"I think so. Look over at where Onestar is. He has Darktail pinned down. He's the leader of the rogues." Noctis turned his gaze over to where the WindClan leader was. He saw the white tom trying to fight back, his face being battered by Onestar. _Looks like my work here is done._ Noctis then watched as Darktail was able to get back to his paws and now pinned Onestar to the ground, his mouth now close to the leader's ear. In a matter of seconds, Onestar quickly got back to his paws and created distance between Darktail.

"WindClan, retreat!" The leader suddenly declared. "That's an order!" _What?!_ Noctis looked at Twigpaw and saw the same look of astonishment on her face. _He's just going to let him go?_ The two watched as WindClan began to leave the battlefield.

"Stay here, I'm going after him!" As Noctis began running towards Darktail, he heard Twigpaw yowl and saw another cat had tackled her to the ground. He immediately turned back and ran towards her, warping such a short distance seeming unnecessary. He was then relieved when Ivypool leaped towards the cat. As she was about to pounce on the enemy, Tigerheart jumped between them, allowing the she-cat to get away.

"Are you kidding me? You're supposed to be on our side! Let alone, you're not even in our group!" The she-cat spat. Tigerheart was about to protest, but no words escaped his mouth. _They were Clanmates before. It makes sense that he doesn't want to see them hurt._ Noctis heard the complaints of the other leaders as WindClan left. The Clans were now in disarray, Mistystar even being suddenly taken down in all the confusion.

"Hey, let's stop arguing and pick up the slack going around here!" Noctis told the two warriors as he looked around for Darktail. _Damn, I lost him._ He saw Kirito and Suguha nearby, Noctis deciding to join the two. "You guys seem to be doing okay."

"Thanks, Noct. You haven't been doing that bad yourself." Kirito responded. "Let's go help some of the RiverClan cats over there. They look like they could use it."

"Got it." Noctis switched to his default sword set and the three ran over to where Mistystar and her Clanmates were.

"Kazuto, Noctis, let's each go on one side. I'm sure it'll be enough pressure to give the RiverClan cats a chance." Suguha suggested. The two agreed and split away from each other before leaping into the rogue and ShadowClan cats. Noctis used his paws to push them away from the RiverClan cats, giving them some breathing room. Once they were able, Noctis worked with the RiverClan warriors to fend the enemy away, watching as the numbers again began to be in their favor. He turned to see some of the RiverClan cats around Mistystar, protecting their leader.

"How is she?"

"I-I'm fine." Mistystar panted, slowly getting to her paws. "You must be Noctis, the cat Bramblestar briefly spoke about. I'm grateful for your help, the same goes for Kirito and Suguha."

"Just doing what I was brought here to do." The leader let out a small chuckle.

"Very well then. My Clanmates and I can manage now. You should help ThunderClan." Noctis gave her a nod. He looked back to see how the others were doing and saw that Twigpaw was on the ground, three cats looming over her.

"Kirito, Suguha, let's go, now!" As Noctis was running, he threw his transparent blade forward like before, leaping before warping to its location. Reappearing in midair, he tackled the gray tom and pinned him to the ground.

"Rain!" The silver she-cat cried out, but before she could help, Kirito pinned her to the ground.

"Needlepaw, I can't even look at you the same way anymore…" He muttered, this being the tom's first encounter with her ever since he visited ShadowClan to see Asuna while she was their medicine cat.

"It's Needle _tail_! I'm not an apprentice anymore, Kirito!" She yelled, kicking the tom off. Once she got back to her paws, she pounced towards Noctis, who quickly let go of Rain and rolled on the ground, quickly getting back to his paws. "C'mon Violetpaw, let's get out of here!" Noctis saw the black and white she-cat standing near Twigpaw. She slowly began to back up and join the other two before running away.

"Was that…your sister?" Noctis asked, but received no response from Twigpaw. He looked and saw the sheer disbelief in her face. _It had to be._

"Can you get up?" Kirito asked her.

"No…my leg…" The three saw the hole that her right hindleg was stuck in.

"Oh no…" Suguha crouched down and gently bit the fur on her leg to grab her. "This may hurt, but we're going to get you out of there." She assured the apprentice. As Suguha slowly tried to pry Twigpaw's leg out of the hole, the apprentice flinched, trying her best not to cry out in pain. "Can one of you pull her away from the hole?"

"Got it." Kirito took her gently by the scruff and the two worked together to free her. "I'll bring her back to camp." Suguha placed the apprentice on her cousin's back with ease.

"Twigpaw!" Ivypool ran over to the three. "What happened?"

"She got her hindleg stuck in a hole. We think it was because of Violetpaw." Suguha told her.

"No…Twigpaw, is that true?" Like before, Twigpaw didn't speak. "I should've watched you better. I'm so sorry."

"Don't blame yourself, Ivypool. We all agreed to keep an eye on her." The light ginger she-cat meowed. "We're all sorry, Twigpaw."

"I shouldn't have left you alone." Noctis apologized.

"It's okay everyone. I just…really want to see Alderheart now." She muttered.

"We'll all take you there together, right?" Kirito looked at the others. They looked around and saw the fighting slowly coming to a stop. They had lost. ShadowClan still belonged to the rogues.

"Right." The others agreed and all made their way back to ThunderClan together.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The sun slowly began to fall later on in the day. Noctis made his way into the medicine cat's den to see how Twigpaw was faring. He saw that Birchfall was currently getting his wounds tended to.

"Hey Alderheart. How's Twigpaw doing?" He asked the medicine cat.

"I'm not sure. I'm really worried about her." He replied.

"You're making him more concerned than he should be." Leafpool meowed, overhearing their conversation. Noctis moved out of the way when he saw that Birchfall was patched up. "She twisted her leg badly, but it's not broken. The stick Jayfeather placed on it will help it heal up. She just needs to stay rested for a few days."

"That's a relief. Anything's better than it being broken." Noctis stated.

"Hey, Noct?" He looked over at Alderheart. "Did…Violetpaw really attack her? She told me, and I trust her, but…it's just hard to believe."

"I didn't see it myself, but she was definitely looming over her when I came to help her." He answered. "She'd be walking around camp if I didn't leave her by herself."

"Funny, from what Kirito told me, it was everyone's fault." Asuna said. "Don't blame yourself, Noctis; none of you should. She got her leg caught in a hole."

"Yeah, plus, it might not have happened if Onestar didn't flee like a kittypet." Jayfeather added. "She'll recover, and that's all that matters." As they were talking, Bramblestar poked his head through the brambles.

"I need at least one medicine cat to come to the Gathering. Noctis, you're coming too." The leader didn't wait for a response and drew his head away from the brambles.

"Gathering?"

"It's a time where all the Clans meet up when the moon is full." Leafpool explained. "You and Jayfeather can go, Alderheart."

"Will you and Asuna be fine here by yourselves?" Jayfeather asked.

"Do you really think the two of us aren't capable enough?" Asuna challenged.

"N-No, you're right. ThunderClan has nothing to worry about." The blind medicine cat replied, causing Asuna to let out a small giggle. _Yup, he definitely has a soft spot for her._ Noctis thought.

"We'll take good care of everyone that's injured, oh, and Blossomfall too. Her kits are going to be adorable!" The cream she-cat meowed. "You three should get going now."

"Right. C'mon you two." Jayfeather took the lead, the two other toms trailing behind him. Noctis saw Bramblestar waiting at the front of the camp, along with Squirrelflight. He also saw Kirito, along with Suguha, Nightheart, Cherryfall, Molewhisker, Dovewing, and Lionblaze.

"I'm gonna join up with the others."

"You know where to find me." Alderheart told him. Noctis walked over to the rest of the ThunderClan cats attending the Gathering.

"Hey, Noct. How's Twigpaw doing?" Kirito wondered.

"Leafpool says she just twisted her leg badly. She just needs to rest." He replied. "Nightheart, are Ivypool and Lelouch staying behind?" The black she-cat nodded.

"Mother's feeling sorry about Twigpaw, so father's also staying to help her cope." She answered. "Noctis, I don't mean this in a mean way, but did you even fight? I can't see a scratch on you."

"He sure did! You should've seen him warping everywhere, not to mention his speed!" Kirito stated. "It was almost like a video game, to be honest."

"I saw some of that, too." Lionblaze said, joining in on the conversation. "The way you just disappear and then reappear…I never thought I'd see anything like it."

"Maybe he's now the one who's invincible." Dovewing meowed.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Suguha pointed at his shoulder with a tail. "There's a small scratch and a bit of fur missing there."

"Wow, way to deflate his skills like that, Suguha." Molewhisker meowed, causing the she-cat to become embarrassed.

"You know I didn't mean it in a bad way!" Noctis let out a laugh.

"It's cool, really. I didn't even notice it, to be honest." He gave it a lick. "This…is okay for cats to do, right?"

"Yup. Perfectly normal." Cherryfall told him.

"Hi everyone!" Sparkpelt greeted as she joined them. "Noct, you were amazing out there! I literally couldn't keep my eyes off of you at times. It's actually how I lost some fur on my shoulder." The young warrior stated.

"Well try to not be distracted admiring Noctis' flashiness. What if it got you seriously hurt?" Cherryfall asked her former apprentice.

"Cherryfall, you know she's a warrior now." Molewhisker reminded her, causing her to sigh.

"I know, but I just want her to be safe."

"No need to worry, Cherryfall, really!" The group saw Bramblestar begin to advance towards the thorn tunnel and followed, every cat hoping that Onestar's reason for deserting the Clans during their fight was well worth it.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"I'm sure you all know what we're here to discuss tonight." Mistystar stated to start the Gathering. "Onestar, you cost us the battle this morning. ShadowClan would've had their territory back if you didn't run away! My Clan took the most damage because of you."

"That's what you think." The WindClan leader scoffed.

"What I think? My Clan was there the _whole_ time, unlike yours! Perchwing was killed, and many of my warriors were injured! All to help solve something we shouldn't even be a part of." Rage filled the RiverClan leader's eyes. "Maybe I should close my borders when I don't agree with a Clan like you do. It'd be better than fighting their battles!"

"Mistystar, we don't want that happening." Bramblestar meowed, trying to calm her down. "That isn't to say I don't understand where your anger is coming from." He now turned his attention to Onestar. "Just what in StarClan's name were you thinking retreating like that?"

"I don't need to say anything!" He spat. "I have my reasons."

"Yeah, that reason being that you're a coward, right?" Rowanstar said with a growl.

"You're the last leader I want to hear telling me about cowardice. You and your Clanmates barely wanted to fight those traitorous ShadowClan cats."

"What you say is right, but we know there is still hope for our Clanmates. Once we get the rogues out—"

"How can that happen thanks to you and Onestar?" Mistystar questioned. "We held back because we thought that they were what we needed to embrace in the shadows, but now it looks like we need to rid of them to clear the sky!" _The prophecy that Luna told me about. If the rogues are who need to leave to clear the sky, who is it exactly that the Clans need to embrace?_ Cats all around began to argue tirelessly about the prophecy in a mixture of anger and fear.

"Look at the moon!" Bramblestar yowled. Noctis saw that the once clear moon was now being shaded by the clouds above. "StarClan is angry. This Gathering is over!" Without question, each leader returned to their Clanmates.

"This isn't good. All the battle seemed to do is divide the Clans even more." Suguha meowed. "The Gathering seemed to make it even worse too."

"We were hoping for answers, and we got none. It's to be expected." Lionblaze responded. "Not the best first impression of a Gathering for Noct over here."

"Yeah. The name Gathering doesn't really give off a fighting vibe." He replied. "I was wondering what you all think about the prophecy. Like Mistystar said, it's apparent that the rogues need to be defeated to clear the sky, but that still leaves what we need to embrace in the shadows. I heard some cats talking about Twigpaw and her sister, but after what happened between them, it seems unlikely."

"Right. The best thing we can do at this point is wait for StarClan to speak with the medicine cats, or maybe even you, Noctis." Cherryfall told him.

"Me? I can talk to them?"

"Yeah. Me, Asuna, and Lelouch have before." Kirito told him.

"Every time I hear that I always remember I'm the one left out here." Suguha said. "I haven't spoken to StarClan, and I don't have powers either."

"Maybe your time hasn't come yet, Suguha." Nightheart told her. "Regardless, you'll always be a special friend to me." Suguha pressed closer to the black she-cat to thank her for the compliment.

A few minutes later, Bramblestar made his way to the front of the group.

"ThunderClan, let's get going." He ordered. The group of cats crossed the fallen tree and made their way back to ThunderClan. As they were walking, Suguha saw Alderheart walking beside her.

"Hi Alderheart."

"Hi, Suguha. I was just wondering if I could speak with you and Kirito away from the others. Just for a moment."

"Okay." She tapped her cousin's shoulder with her tail. "Alderheart wants to speak with us." The two slowed down so that they were behind the others. "What did you want to tell us about?"

"It's about the prophecy. I know that our journey to find SkyClan last time didn't end well, but I'm positive that they're still out there, 'in the shadows'." He meowed. "I had another vision and saw some SkyClan cats. They looked lost and in need of our help. I told my father that we needed to tell the other Clans about SkyClan, and it took some persuasion, but he finally agreed with me."

"That's great, Alderheart." Kirito told him. "But…we know about SkyClan already. Why are you telling us?"

"Oh, well…you both went on the journey with me and I wanted to see if you still believe that we need to find SkyClan, even after everything we were put through last time."

"Of course we do. It's obvious that you're a special cat gifted by StarClan. I've always believed in your judgement, Alderheart." The medicine cat began to blush. There was a reason Suguha was his favorite out of the cats not from this world.

"Sugu's right, you know. The rogues said that they drove SkyClan out, but I've always thought that there was still hope for them. Your dreams prove that."

"Thanks you two, it really means a lot to me." He let out a sigh. "It finally feels good to no longer keep SkyClan a secret anymore."

"Good thing we remembered about it. Noctis was asking about what everyone thought about what was 'in the shadows'." Suguha told him. "So, are you going with Bramblestar to tell the other Clans the news?"

"Yup. Something tells me Rowanstar and Mistystar will believe me, but Onestar…not so much."

"He's hiding something, I know it." Kirito meowed. "Whatever it is, it has to be important." _I agree with Kirito wholeheartedly, but…what could be so important to Onestar that he's always riled up as of late?_

Bramblestar and the others from the Gathering returned to camp and Bramblestar immediately called for a Clan meeting, ShadowClan also automatically included in the many. Noctis took a seat next to Kirito and Suguha.

"Do any of you know what this is about?" Noctis asked.

"Yeah, it's about what's 'in the shadows'." Kirito responded. "I'm sure Alderheart told you about the journey that he went on."

"The one where he first met the rogues, right?" The two nodded.

"Well, Kirito and I were with him, along with Asuna, Lelouch, Sparkpelt, Molewhisker, and Cherryfall." Suguha added. "The reason we were on that journey was to find the lost Clan who we think is what's 'in the shadows'. We were supposed to keep it a secret, but Alderheart persuaded Bramblestar to let everyone know about them." Bramblestar let out a loud meow to get everyone's attention.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting." Once all eyes were on him, the leader began. "My Clanmates, along with ShadowClan, there is something that I've been keeping secret that Alderheart believes is what we need to find 'in the shadows'." His Clanmates began talking amongst each other, wondering exactly what the secret was. "Long ago, there used to be a fifth Clan who lived among us by the name of SkyClan. They were driven out by the other four Clans, and I've wanted to keep it hidden due to the shame it brings realizing that."

"You said that this happened a long time ago, which means before ThunderClan settled near the lake." Brackenfur meowed. "How can we be even sure that they're alive?"

"Because the journey I went on led me to where they used to live." Alderheart responded. "I found a former SkyClan warrior while I was there, but one of the rogues killed him. I had faith that some of SkyClan was still out there, but with the dreams I've been having, I'm sure they're out there. I've seen them, lost, wondering where they need to go. We need to bring them back here with us, and since they already have revenge to take against the rogues, they have to be what will help 'clear the sky'." Every cat began speaking amongst each other, wondering if this was actually the right thing to do.

"Thank you, Alderheart." His father gave him a lick on the forehead. "I know that you all have questions about this, so feel free to ask them." Both the leader and Alderheart made their way down from the Highledge, their Clanmates immediately approaching the two. Noctis saw Dovewing and Tigerheart approaching.

"So, you both knew something about SkyClan this entire time?" Tigerheart stated.

"Yeah, sorry that we didn't say anything. Alderheart told us not to." Kirito responded.

"Don't worry, we understand." Dovewing assured him. "I'm sure Noct is glad that we're all being informed about this at the same time as he is."

"It does feel good to not be behind on any sort of Clan knowledge."

"So, what did SkyClan's camp look like? Similar to our camps?" The tabby tom wondered.

"Not really. The rogues didn't really create any dens or anything. It was just inside a gorge." Suguha answered.

"But, to be fair, it's a pretty neat spot for having a camp." Kirito added.

"Is there anything else you know about them? Like, do you know where they are?" Dovewing questioned, the two cousins shaking their heads.

"I guess that means we're going to have to go out looking for them then, right?" Noctis suggested, Tigerheart nodding his head.

"I think so. If it means getting ShadowClan back from the rogues, I'm all for it."

"Me too."

"Really? I'd think you both would want to hold saving ShadowClan off for a bit." Suguha teased, causing the two to become flustered. _So, they like each other, huh? I guess Ivypool doesn't approve._ Noctis thought. "Then again, you still have Kazuto here, Dovewing."

"S-Suguha!" Kirito looked at her cousin, now joining the embarrassment the other two shared. Noctis let out a laugh.

"It's not funny, Noct!" Dovewing complained.

"Sorry, it just reminded me about the times I shared with my friends…teasing in general, at least." He replied.

"We should get going before Suguha says anything else." Tigerheart joked. "We'll see you three later."

"See ya'." Kirito waved a paw as they left. They then saw more cats begin to approach them. "I guess we're going to be here all night answering questions about SkyClan."

"Now I'm really glad I learned about SkyClan at the same time as everyone else." Noctis said. "Good luck you two. I'll be catching some sleep."

"Goodnight, Noctis." Suguha meowed before turning around to speak with Brackenfur and Mousewhisker. _I guess the next step for me now is helping to find SkyClan. Maybe StarClan will speak to me about it tonight. I have no doubt that they are still out there, but, where do we even start?_ Noctis walked into the warriors' den and saw that Nightheart and Lelouch were busy talking to Ivypool and some of the other cats about SkyClan. _There goes my sleep for tonight._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Asuna softly pressed down on Twigpaw's injured leg as Alderheart watched. She didn't seem to react to the light pressure.

"Does it hurt, Twigpaw?" The apprentice shook her head in silence.

"That's great! You'll be better in no time, Twigpaw." Briarlight told her as Lelouch was helping her with her stretching exercises. "The only thing is that you'll be in the apprentice's den again."

"I'm sure she'll visit sometimes." Alderheart assured her. It was obvious that Twigpaw was still distraught over Violetpaw attacking her. She barely even spoke anymore, only nodding or shaking her head, or letting out the occasional sigh.

"You're recovering well, Twigpaw." Asuna meowed. _On the outside, she is, but…I don't know how long it'll take to heal the pain on the inside_. "Alderheart, can you take care of her for a bit?"

"Yeah." Asuna walked over to where Leafpool and Brightheart were. Two nights after the Gathering, Blossomfall had finally given birth to four healthy kits. She, Alderheart, and Leafpool were up all night helping with the delivery.

"It's so great to see new life in the Clan, despite everything that's going on." Leafpool told the white she-cat.

"Are their eyes open yet?" Brightheart asked.

"Not yet. They usually take a few days, at least, that's what I've learned from Leafpool." Asuna answered, the light brown tabby letting out a smile. "They're really cute though."

"I bet. Let me see if I remember their names…There's Plumkit, Shellkit, Stemkit, and…Eaglekit!" Brightheart answered. "I just wish I was a medicine cat so I could see them already. I'm so proud of Blossomfall."

"You should be proud of Thornclaw, too." Alderheart said with a small laugh. "Asuna had to calm him down while Blossomfall was giving birth."

"He may be old, but this was actually his first litter. He was as nervous as an apprentice on their first day out." Leafpool meowed with amusement.

"I can't remember how much times I told him everything would be okay, but afterwards, he was so happy to see them, probably more relieved than anything." Asuna added.

"That reminds me of Cloudtail when I had my first litter." Brightheart smiled, reminiscing the moment. "Those kits are so lucky, too. Once they become apprentices, one of them might have a certain great warrior as their mentor." Lelouch looked back and saw the others looking at him.

"Me? I don't know about great…" A hint of embarrassment coated his voice.

"You don't have to be modest, Lelouch. You're an amazing warrior, and now that you're staying here, it'd make sense for you to have an apprentice for yourself." Briarlight told him.

"I'm sure my father's definitely considering it already." Alderheart added.

"Yeah…" The black tom's voice suddenly trailed off. Alderheart looked over at him. _Is something bothering Lelouch now, too?_ He decided that there was no harm in asking, so he walked over to him.

"Is everything okay, Lelouch? You sounded a bit off for a moment."

"What? Y-Yeah, I'm fine, Alderheart, don't worry." He assured him. "You did great as always, Briarlight. I'll see you the next time I come in here." Lelouch left the medicine cat's den and let out a sigh. _Now's not the time to be thinking about this, especially with the rogues still in the forest._ He told himself. He broke away from his thoughts when he bumped into Noctis.

"Whoa, sorry about that, Lelouch."

"No, it's my fault, Noctis. I should've been paying attention." He apologized before walking towards the direction of the warriors' den. _What's up with him?_ Noctis walked over to the fresh-kill pile and picked up a mouse to eat. _Glad I've gotten used to it already._ With a mouse in his jaws, he walked over to where Lionblaze and Cinderheart were.

"Hi Noctis." The she-cat greeted him. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, much better than the night after the Gathering." He said in between chews. "I don't know if you saw, but I bumped into Lelouch while I was walking over to the fresh-kill pile, and something seemed to be bothering him."

"Something bothering Lelouch? He's not really the type of cat to have something on his mind enough to trouble him." Lionblaze meowed. "If there is something, maybe it's best not to ask him about it."

"Right. Besides, it can't be something concerning the whole Clan if he hasn't said anything to anyone about it yet." Cinderheart added. She then let out a sigh. "There goes Rowanstar running his mouth again." Noctis looked over at the ShadowClan leader speaking to Bramblestar. From the sound of it, they were definitely arguing.

"How long has he been at Bramblestar's throat like that?" Noctis wondered.

"For a while. He wants us to attack ShadowClan again, and when I say us, I mean it." Cinderheart informed the tom. "We're still healing from the last battle, and now that RiverClan and WindClan don't seem keen on fighting, it's suicide to go against the rogues on our own."

"Regardless, Bramblestar's the one with power here. Arguing will get Rowanstar nowhere." Lionblaze said, grooming his forepaw. _They're right. Going after those rogues without a plan is pointless. A head-on attack would do nothing but cause more trouble, and that's the last thing ThunderClan needs._


	4. Chapter 4: Internal Conflict

Chapter 4: Internal Conflict

 _"_ _Let all cats old_ enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" Bramblestar announced. Lelouch walked over to the Highledge and took a seat next to Ivypool.

"What do you think this is about?" Ivypool wondered.

"With everything that's going on, probably about the rogues. Hopefully a good strategy to fighting them."

"Y'know, I'm surprised that Bramblestar hasn't asked you for any help knowing how tactical you are." She responded, giving the tom a lick on the cheek, causing him to blush.

"You act like I haven't been thinking out a strategy myself. Sadly, the best thing I think we can do is wait. RiverClan and WindClan don't seem keen on helping us." _Without them, is there really any way we can defeat the rogues without suffering major causalities?_

"Cats of ThunderClan!" Bramblestar began, silencing the rest of the talk around the camp. "We've promised to not hide any more secrets. Alderheart, tell the Clan about your vision." The medicine cat stepped forward, peering down at his Clanmates.

"I saw the SkyClan cats again in my vision. They seemed to be in a barn that we passed by on my way back here on my journey. They seemed so frail and in need of help. I think ThunderClan needs to send out another search party for them." Cats all throughout the camp began talking amongst each other, most of them sounding negative. Rowanstar stood up, fury in his eyes.

"I've never heard such a tall tale in my life! We need to focus on what's going on here with ShadowClan!"

"Right." Birchfall agreed. "Before anything else, we should deal with the rogues."

"Yeah, and besides, we all know how much of a problem the last journey was!" Berrynose added, receiving a shove from Sparkpelt.

"You're the one to talk! All you did was stay here lazing around all day!" The she-cat retorted. The arguing between the cats continued until Whitewing finally rose her voice.

"I disagree with the others." She meowed, giving her mate a sorrowful glance. "If there's anything that we've learned from the battle with the Dark Forest, it's that we should always listen to StarClan. Right now, it looks like they're trying to tell us to look for those poor cats Alderheart saw."

"There's something else I saw." Alderheart continued. "One of the cats I saw looked similar to Twigpaw. It's possible that they're her kin. If so, the prophecy wants us to reunite the lost kits with their Clan." Although the mention of Twigpaw's kin was thrown out, none of the cats seemed concerned about it.

"There seems to be a bit of uncertainty in your vision, Alderheart." Cloudtail meowed. "It was probably just a vivid dream, that's all."

"Oh please. Medicine cats know the difference between dreams and visions." Jayfeather stated, but Cloudtail just scoffed at the statement.

"Well I think we should take finding SkyClan seriously!" Dovewing announced. "I'd gladly lead a patrol going out to look for them."

"I hope you don't mind me tagging along then." Kirito meowed. "I'm sure that SkyClan is out there. Alderheart's vision can't just be for nothing."

"I'll go with them, too." Tigerheart declared, but his father quickly got to his paws.

"You will do no such thing!"

"Why not? Don't you want ShadowClan to be a part of finding SkyClan? This prophecy was given to all the Clans." He retorted. His father's only reply was an angered snort. Lelouch watched as right next to him, Ivypool stood up.

"I think you're all wrong!" He looked up at her in shock. _Ivypool…_ "As much as I'd want to find Twigpaw's kin, we're not completely sure that the cat Alderheart saw is related to her. Besides, we're dealing with the rogues here already. What if they come for us next while ThunderClan is missing some warriors? We aren't responsible for what happened to SkyClan. We own no Clan anything. We need to deal with the problems we're facing right now."

"You're wrong, Ivypool." The she-cat's eyes widened as she saw Lelouch rise to his paws. "I know I'm not inherently born to believe in StarClan, but like Kirito said, we can't just let Alderheart's vision be for nothing. Right now, ThunderClan has no help. SkyClan could be who we need to stop the rogues." The tom could see the disdain in his mate's eyes, but she didn't respond.

"I agree with Ivypool." Poppyfrost said. "We can't weaken our Clan by sending out warriors. Even if they are out there, now's not the time to look for them."

"I can't let them get to my kits if they attack. They mean the world to me right now." Thornclaw added.

"We can't afford helping others if we need help ourselves." Cherryfall meowed in agreement. At that point, more cats begun to agree with what Ivypool had said. It became clear that SkyClan would have to wait to get help.

"But…what about me?" Twigpaw meowed softly, eyes now turning to her. "Don't I have a right to find my kin?"

"You do, Twigpaw." Lilyheart told her. "But…you have to put your Clan before yourself. Maybe now isn't the best time to look for your kin." Twigpaw was distraught with sorrow and embarrassment. If now wasn't the time, then when would it be? The rogues didn't look like they'd be defeated anytime soon, and if they did save ShadowClan, could her kin still be alive to be saved? As discussion continued, Bramblestar stepped forward and raised a paw to silence the Clan.

"Alderheart, I've heard arguments from both sides. I do appreciate the vision that you have shared, but right now, I agree with the majority of the Clan. Our safety must come first. I need all ThunderClan cats to stay on our territory for the time being." With that, Bramblestar turned and went back into his den, calling the Clan meeting to an end. Lelouch looked over at Ivypool and saw her automatically avoid his gaze. She got to her paws, and began to walk away.

"Ivypool…" The tom got up and followed her. "Don't tell me you're really mad over my opinion on this?"

"Don't talk to me, Lelouch." She responded, scorn in her meow.

"You're being childish about this." Ivypool stopped and turned to face the tom, anger flared in her eyes.

"Do you know how embarrassed I was having you be against me in front of the whole Clan? You could've just told me personally that you disagreed with me!"

"Well what about Twigpaw? Do you think she doesn't deserve to know her kin? Her parents?"

"I'm thinking about what's best for _my_ family." Ivypool broke her gaze away from his violet eyes. "Nightheart didn't know her father for moons. Twigpaw can wait." Lelouch looked at his mate in disbelief, especially due to the fact that she made it sound like it was his fault that Nightheart wasn't able to meet her father when she was a kit. "Just go talk with Dovewing. You always agree with her anyway." The tom stood there while Ivypool walked away, still in shock from her rebuttal.

"Father!" Nightheart called out, padding over to the tom. "Father?" She looked over at his face, worry now filling the she-cat. "Are you okay? What happened between you and mother?"

"It's nothing, Nightheart. Don't worry about it." He muttered, walking in the opposite direction that Ivypool went. Nightheart saw where her mother was now resting and walked over to her.

"Mother? Is everything okay between you and father?" She asked.

"We're okay, Nightheart. Don't worry about us." Ivypool gave her daughter a comforting lick.

"Okay," Nightheart began to walk away, but gave her mother one more glance. _Mother…Father…_ The she-cat walked over to where Suguha was waiting for her.

"How are they?" The light ginger she-cat asked.

"Not good. I never thought that they would fight, especially after all they've been through." She meowed. "Suguha…do you think they'll be okay?"

"Definitely, Nightheart. Differing opinions can cause even couples to fight. I'm sure they love each other enough to not let one fight ruin them."

"Right."

Over near the warriors' den, Dovewing sat along with Tigerheart and Kirito, the three disheartened by Bramblestar's choice to not go out and find SkyClan.

"I know that we should go and look for them, but at the same time, I know Bramblestar's doing what's best for ThunderClan." Kirito meowed. "The rogues are unpredictable. We have no idea what their next moves are."

"But what if Lelouch was right? SkyClan could be who we need to help us defeat the rogues, and they'd be as unpredictable as they are." Dovewing responded. She turned and looked inside the warriors' den to see Lelouch resting on the bedding inside. She saw him and her sister talking, and she knew that it didn't go well between the two. "I'll talk with you both later." The two toms nodded and walked off, Dovewing now entering the den. She walked over to where Lelouch was and sat next to him, violet and green eyes meeting. "You okay, Lelouch?"

"Yeah, just having a long day, that's all." He replied inaudibly. "You don't have to worry about me, Dovewing, really."

"When you say that, it makes me worry more, you know." She told him. "Did you and Ivypool get in a fight over whether to go and look for SkyClan?" He stayed silent, avoiding her gaze. "I thought it would take something bigger to get between you two."

"You and me both." Lelouch meowed. "Just try not to ask her anything about it, please? I think we just need some time apart for now."

"Okay. I hope you feel better soon."

"Thanks, Dovewing." Before she left, Dovewing gave the tom a comforting lick to the ear. _Lelouch…Ivypool…don't let something so trivial bring you two apart._

Inside the medicine cat's den, Noctis sat down talking with Alderheart. Luckily there wasn't much to be taken care of, so Jayfeather allowed the chat.

"Noct, have you had any sort of visions lately?" Alderheart asked.

"Visions? I can't say that I have." He responded. "With what Cherryfall and some of the others were saying the other day, should I be anticipating something?"

"It's definitely possible." Asuna answered as she helped sort herbs. "Firestar talked to me about becoming a warrior and a medicine cat at the same time, although I think my hunting skills might be a bit rusty."

"Well having four medicine cats is a bit excessive, so if you want to go out hunting, we wouldn't mind." Leafpool told her.

"I know someone who would." Briarlight meowed with a giggle, a blush forming on Jayfeather's face.

"I can ban Lelouch from helping you with your exercises, you know." He retorted. "Anyway, you make sure to come to us if you have any sort of message from StarClan or any type of visions, Noctis."

"Got it. I'll let you get back to work, Alderheart."

"I don't know if I should be thanking you or not." Noctis let out a chuckle.

"That's up to you. Talk to you later." Alderheart let out a smile as he saw the tom leave.

"You seem really close to Noctis already, Alderheart." Asuna meowed. "It's almost like you're both brothers or something."

"Do you think so? I think it might just be because I helped him right when he woke up…but it'd be awesome if he was."

"We won't say anything to Kirito or Lelouch." Leafpool said with a giggle.

"Hey, I like them both as much, too. It'd be hard to choose just one to have as an older brother." He responded before glancing over at the apprentice's den. _Twigpaw, I know how hurt you must be now. I tried my best…but it wasn't enough._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Dovewing woke up the next morning, sunlight breaking through the warriors' den. She looked back and saw that Lelouch was still asleep. _I'm sorry, Lelouch, but I have to break my promise._

"Good morning, Dovewing." The gray she-cat saw that it was Nightheart who had greeted her.

"Hi, Nightheart. Do you know where Ivypool is?"

"Mother? I don't think she went on any of the morning patrols. She might be around the camp somewhere." She answered. "Are you fighting with her, too?" Dovewing shook her head.

"I don't think so. She didn't talk to me yesterday."

"Are you going to talk to her about father?"

"I am, but he's not the main reason why I need to see her."

"Oh…well thank you for helping, Dovewing. You don't know how much that means to me."

"You're my niece after all." She gave her a lick on the forehead. "I'll see you later, Nightheart." Dovewing got up from her bedding and walked out into camp. She looked around for a while and once she saw Ivypool, Dovewing immediately began walking over to her.

"What do you want?" Her sister asked harshly. Dovewing could already tell what kind of conversation they were both going to have.

"I'm just here to ask about why you were against looking out to find SkyClan." She answered.

"I'm pretty sure that I answered that all yesterday in my explanation. Were you not listening to me?" Ivypool replied.

"Oh, I was; just like everyone else in the Clan. I'm wondering why you were so vocal about it is all."

"Well why were _you_ so vocal about looking for SkyClan?"

"Because it's the right thing to do!"

"There's your answer for why I spoke yesterday. I'm trying to protect my family, and if that means leaving SkyClan alone, so be it." Ivypool looked away from her sister. "How can you not tell how much I care about you, Dovewing?"

"Is this about protecting me? I'd be fine on the journey, you know that."

"There's more to it than that…" Ivypool muttered. "Why do you still want to be with him?" Dovewing let out a sigh.

"Is this about Tigerheart?"

"Yes! You know it's against the warrior code to be with him, and even though he pushed you away before, you both still like each other. You can find someone in ThunderClan that likes and appreciates you just as much." Dovewing scoffed.

"That's easy for you to say. You already have everything here...so why can't I be as happy as you are with Lelouch?"

"Is that what you're mad about? Did he talk to you yesterday?" Dovewing didn't respond. "Would you be happy with him? Do you still love him?"

"Of course I do! I thought that he would be the one to keep my mind off of Tigerheart, but…I knew that I couldn't let it happen…I didn't want it to, not with how much you both love each other."

"Maybe it would've been better off if he chose you instead." Dovewing could see the pain in her sister's eyes when she said that.

"Ivypool, don't let some stupid disagreement push you both apart. If anything, it's my fault that you both fought." She meowed. "I know that you can see how much he cares about you. He's hurting right now, and so are you. This is the first time you've both gotten into an argument. What you and Lelouch have should withstand thousands of those. Don't let go of him that easily, Ivypool." Dovewing left her sister alone, Ivypool gazing down at her paws. _What's wrong with me?_

Later on in the day, Noctis woke up to the sound of voices outside of the warriors' den. He let out a yawn and gave his body a stretch before walking out to see what seemed like the whole Clan huddled in the center of the camp. _What's going on?_ He saw Kirito on the outside of the cluster and made his way over to him. Once Kirito felt his presence, he turned to see him.

"Hey Noct." His voice was somber.

"Hey. What happened?"

"It's Purdy, one of the elders. I'm not sure if he was sick or if something was wrong, but Tigerheart and Berrynose were arguing and he stepped in to stop them, but…he just seemed to collapse."

"Oh…" Noctis didn't really know what else to say. He didn't exactly have any sort of connection with the elder, but he did remember him questioning him about his necklace and glove. He thought he was a bit strange at first, but it did give him a good laugh. "I'm sure he was an amazing cat to everyone here."

"Yeah, I'm sure of it, too." Noctis saw the group of cats begin to dissipate and he saw Alderheart standing beside Jayfeather, Purdy's lifeless body at their paws. Noctis made his way over to the medicine cats, but Alderheart didn't make eye contact with him.

"I'm sorry that this happened, you two."

"Don't be. As a medicine cat, we know that there's times nothing can be done." Jayfeather meowed. "Purdy lived a long life here, and he was getting old."

"I asked him if he needed help the other day…but he told me not to worry." Alderheart meowed. "It wouldn't have hurt anyone. He's part of the Clan and he deserves the same care as everyone else."

"Alderheart, don't blame yourself for this." Jayfeather said. "We'll sit vigil for him tonight. We still have work to do."

"Could I speak to Noctis for a second?" Jayfeather nodded and padded back to the medicine cat's den. Noctis looked over at the dark ginger tom, curious as to what he wanted to tell him. "Twigpaw's missing." He meowed.

"What? She's not around here? Do you want me to go look for her?" Alderheart shook his head.

"Don't. I'm sure she'll turn up eventually." He assured the tom. "Please don't tell anyone I told you. With Purdy gone, we have enough to worry about." Noctis gave the tom a nod and watched as he left. _Twigpaw's gone missing? With her injury, she can't be far, right?_

The moon glowed brightly in the sky that night as the cats all sat waiting for Purdy's vigil to begin. Noctis sat beside Alderheart as they paid their respected for the deceased elder.

"I don't mean to be rude, but…I still haven't seen Twigpaw all day." Noctis whispered. Alderheart gulped and nodded his head.

"I know…"

"You don't think that she went to find SkyClan on her own, do you?"

"Why else would she disappear without saying anything? If she was here, she'd go out to sit vigil for Purdy." Alderheart responded. "The fact that nobody else has noticed yet bothers me more than it should." The dark ginger tom stood up. "I have to tell my father." Noctis watched as Alderheart walked over to Bramblestar. He could immediately see the shock in the leader's eyes when he heard the news.

Bramblestar turned around to face his Clanmates. "Cats of ThunderClan!" They all looked up at their leader. "Alderheart has just informed me that Twigpaw has gone missing. We believe that she has gone out to find her missing kin. Traveling alone is too dangerous, especially with her injured leg, so we must bring her back here."

"This is all my fault." Ivypool meowed, getting up on her paws. "If I hadn't been so vocal about being against sending a patrol out…she'd still be here. I should've known that she would react this way."

"It's not your fault, Ivypool." Lelouch assured her, placing his tail on her shoulder. "Not wanting to look for SkyClan yet was a collaborative effort that the majority agreed on. No cat could've predicted that this would happen."

"Right, which is why we need to send a patrol out and bring her back safely."

"I'll go." Tigerheart immediately offered.

"I will, too." Dovewing chimed in.

"Then that means you'll go along with them as well, Kirito." The leader turned to look at the black tom. "You went with Alderheart on the journey, so I'm sure you know the way to the barn that Alderheart saw the SkyClan cats in."

"Yeah. We'll make sure to bring Twigpaw back." He told the leader before joining up with Dovewing and Tigerheart. "Ready to go you two?"

"Aren't you forgetting to say goodbye to someone?" Tigerheart asked, looking over at where Asuna was.

"Oh, right!" Asuna let out a giggle as she watched Kirito stumble over to say goodbye to her.

"You know, I think Tigerheart would make a better boyfriend than you."

"C'mon, you don't mean that." The two shared a small laugh. "Make sure to stay safe if the rogues attack, alright?"

"You be safe, too. You remember how dangerous our journey was the first time."

"I'll be fine. You have nothing to worry about." He assured her.

"I hope so." As Kirito began to walk back to Tigerheart and Dovewing, Asuna let out a sigh. "You have a cousin too, you know." The tom again turned around, but this time, walked over to where Suguha was.

"Don't worry Kazuto, I know you're just excited to go find Twigpaw. You just make sure to come back, okay?"

"Got it. You stay safe too, Sugu." Kirito turned around and looked around the camp. "Anyone else that I'm forgetting to say bye to?"

"I think you're good." She assured him with a small laugh.

"Great. I'll see you whenever we get back then." Kirito ran over to the other two. "Sorry about that. Let's get going. She couldn't have gotten far." The three ran across the camp and exited through the thorn tunnel, beginning their search for the missing apprentice. Every cat began to talk amongst themselves about Twigpaw's sudden disappearance, Lelouch still sitting beside his mate to console her.

"She'll be okay, Ivypool. You've trained her well, after all." Ivypool sniffled, trying her best to hold back any tears.

"Do you…hate me, Lelouch?"

"Hate you?"

"For everything I said yesterday…"

"You going to have to try harder to do that, Ivypool." He told her, letting out a small smile.

"I just…I was so mad because I didn't want you or Nightheart to leave…not after what happened the last time. I thought you were being selfish in risking your life again." Lelouch felt Ivypool press her head into his coat, her tears suddenly beginning to drop. "I…I didn't mean what I said about you not being there for Nightheart when she was born. I know I didn't seem sad then, but…my heart's been in so much pain after realizing that I said that to you…the cat who loves me despite all my flaws. Seeing how shocked and saddened you were when I said that…because of me? How could I forgive myself?"

"Ivypool…I know you were speaking out of anger yesterday…but some of the things you said were true." She looked up at her mate in surprise. "I should've told you what I thought in private. I also should've been more considerate about the safety of our family. You and Nightheart mean the world to me, and if something happened to you both because we were missing warriors, I don't know if I could forgive myself." Ivypool shook her head.

"Your heart has always been in the right place, Lelouch. I know that you care about Twigpaw…I just wish my mind wasn't clouded to the point where I forgot about her feelings." She meowed. "I really do care about her…but right now…I only care about if you accept my apology, Lelouch."

"Of course I do, Ivypool. I'd be a fool not to." She smiled, pressing her head into his coat again.

"Mother? Father? Is everything alright now?" The two looked over to see Nightheart had approached them.

"Everything's fine. We're sorry if we worried you, Nightheart." Lelouch apologized.

"It's okay, as long as you're both happy again." The black she-cat looked back to where Suguha was, causing her to smile.

"Well that's a relief to see." Suguha turned and saw that Asuna had joined her. "Seeing those two fight had me worried."

"I'm sure you weren't as worried as Nightheart though."

"You're definitely right about that. I can't imagine what was going through her mind, but at least they made up relatively quickly." Asuna said. "Then again, Twigpaw's disappearance might've helped Ivypool open up, and it did give Lelouch a chance to show that no matter what, he'd be there for her."

Still with Noctis, Alderheart sat beside the tom, still waiting for the vigil to begin. He looked over and noticed Noctis' head begin to lower, his eyes also beginning to close. The black tom then let out a yawn.

"You look really tired. Did you not sleep well last night?"

"No, I did…but…" Noctis let out another yawn. "I've been sleepier suddenly out of nowhere. I really don't want to sleep during Purdy's vigil, but…" Noctis' eyes closed and his head lowered, Alderheart shaking the tom back awake. _I know I like sleeping, but this feels ridiculous._

"Maybe you should go to sleep, Noct. Don't feel bad about it. Not all cats stay the whole night sitting vigil."

"Do you think your father would mind?" Noctis wondered, rubbing his eyes with a paw.

"You'll be fine. If he questions you, I'll tell him it was my recommendation, being a medicine cat and all."

"I'm glad the cat I'm falling asleep in front of is you, Alderheart." Noctis yawned. "I'll see you tomorrow morning then."

"Yeah. Sleep well, Noct." Noctis groggily began to walk over to the warriors' den. He didn't care about the eyes of all the other cats on him. Right now, sleep was all that mattered to him, which he still didn't understand. Noctis laid down on the bedding in the empty warriors' den, sleep immediately taking over him.

"Noctis? Noctis wake up." The black tom let out a small groan before slowly opening his eyes. In front of him stood a white she-cat with blue eyes. He looked around and saw that he rested in a field of sylleblossoms, the blue flowers always filling him with awe at their beauty. He looked back at the she-cat and noticed that around her neck was a necklace bearing a pair of stars near the crescent moon shape in the middle. His eyes went wide, causing the she-cat to smile.

"L-Luna? You're a cat, too?"

"Do you not like how I look as one?"

"N-No! You're really cute…" The tom meowed, a blush forming on his face, causing Luna to giggle. "I must be dreaming, right?"

"In a way, yes and no. Right now, you are asleep and dreaming, but you're dreaming so that I may be able to talk to you." She explained. "You might have noticed that you were suddenly getting sleepy?"

"You did that?" The white she-cat nodded.

"Yes, but it's only because what I need to tell you is important. It involves Twigpaw."

"Do you know what happened to her? Did she really run away?"

"She did, but you're the one who is not only going to find her, but find SkyClan as well."

"That sounds like wishful thinking. The area around ThunderClan is the only place I know." He stated. "Besides, Kirito, Dovewing, and Tigerheart are already going out looking for her."

"Right, but they're not going to find her. I'm going to help lead you to where Twigpaw is."

"You're joining me in ThunderClan?" Although he didn't sound like it, Luna could sense that joy now filled the tom.

"I'm afraid not. I'm only guiding you, and that's it."

"Oh…" Luna walked over to the tom and gave him a kiss on the cheek, causing him to blush.

"Don't worry, Noctis. I will always be watching over you and making sure that you're safe."

"Got it. So…is there anyone specific that needs to come with me?" Luna shook her head.

"This journey is for you alone, and you have to leave as soon as you wake up. I know that the cats are having a vigil, but you need to sneak out without being seen. No cat can follow you."

"But won't they be worried that I'm gone? I don't want any of them to be in danger trying to look for me."

"I'll let Alderheart know where you are. At that point you'll be too far to be followed."

"You can speak to Alderheart too?" Luna nodded.

"I had to thank him for waking you up, after all." She meowed. "The Clans are counting on you to find SkyClan, and I'm sure Twigpaw is counting on some cat to come and help her. I know that you won't let them down."

"With you helping me, I'm sure I won't." Noctis let out a sigh. "That sounded cliché and stupid, didn't it?" The white she-cat let out a giggle.

"I don't think a hero cares all too much about how he sounds."

"Well this one's an exception."

"Regardless, it's time for you to wake up now." Noctis watched as Luna began to fade from his vision. "Remember, no cat can follow you, Noctis." Those last words whispered in his ear as his surrounded all suddenly disappeared.

Noctis woke up and saw that he was back in the warriors' den, alone. All the other cats were sitting vigil for Purdy still. He got up to his paws and looked out of the entrance to the den. _I could try to warp to one of the trees, but it might be too flashy and someone might catch a glimpse of me if I do it here._ He turned around and looked at the walls of the den. _I could sneak out through the back wall. Hopefully my fur is dark enough to stay hidden, even to cats._ Noctis walked over to the back of the den and began slowly prying himself through the branches, trying his best to also stay quiet. Once he got through, he pressed them back carefully, trying to make it look inconspicuous. _This quarry surrounds most of the camp except for the front. I'm gonna have to warp up the rocky walls and hope no cat sees._ He realized. Summoning his sword, Noctis launched it towards the rock wall of the quarry, disappearing and reappearing on his sword, balancing on the blade. He hopped up onto the top of the rocky wall and looked down at the camp. _I'll bring Twigpaw and SkyClan back here as fast as I can._


	5. Chapter 5: Undercover

Chapter 5: Undercover

 _The sun rose the next_ day, shining brightly across the forest. After some of the warriors helped bury Purdy after they sat vigil, the camp was back to normal. _I should probably go check on Noctis and see if he's okay._ Alderheart made his way over to the warriors' den to see how the black tom was doing. He looked inside and saw some of the warriors were sleeping, but Noctis was nowhere to be found. _Did he go out hunting?_ He wondered.

"Hi Alderheart." Suguha greeted the tom with a smile.

"Hey, Suguha. Did you see Noctis at all when you walked in here after the vigil?" The light ginger she-cat shook her head.

"I didn't. Do you need to talk to him about something?"

"Not necessarily. I just wanted to check on him and see how he was doing. He was pretty tired last night, but he's probably out hunting to make up for that or something."

"He is a hero, after all." Suguha said with a giggle. "Well, I'll let you know if I see him."

"Great, thanks, Suguha." The tom thanked her before leaving the warriors' den. Alderheart entered the medicine cat's den and saw that Jayfeather, Asuna, and Leafpool were at work already.

"There you are. Come help sort herbs." Jayfeather told the warrior once he caught his scent.

"Okay." Alderheart stood next to the blind tom and began sorting herbs with him. As he was, Alderheart noticed his eyes slowly begin to close, and he also felt himself yawn continuously.

"Alderheart, are you alright? All I've been hearing is you yawning." Jayfeather told him.

"I guess the vigil tuckered me out." He meowed.

"Well then you should go get some rest. Us three can handle everything here until then." Asuna told him. _Thank StarClan you're here, Asuna._ Alderheart thought as he knew Jayfeather wouldn't deny the suggestion coming from her.

"Fine, but only because we can't have you messing anything up if you're drowsy." He meowed.

"I'll be back as soon as I get up." Alderheart let out another yawn before heading towards the apprentice's den to rest. Without Twigpaw, the den was completely empty. _Twigpaw, wherever you are, please be safe._

Alderheart's eyes slowly opened and he saw the moonlit grassy field that he was so accustomed to as of late. _Maybe C.C. has an idea where Twigpaw is._ Alderheart sniffed the air and scented an unfamiliar, but pleasant fragrance. He noticed that he was rested on a field of blue flowers, the wondrous scent emitting from them. Alderheart then realized that these flowers looked familiar. _These look like the ones that I saw right after I saved Noct._ The tom looked around until he saw the figure of a Twoleg. _C.C.!_ Alderheart ran towards the young woman but as he got closer he realized that it wasn't the green-haired girl at all, but a young woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. He sensed no threat from her, so he simply stayed put and looked up at her.

"Alderheart, it's nice to finally meet you." She began.

"Oh…um…it's nice to meet you too…"

"Lunafreya, but you may call me Luna." She told him.

"That's a nice name." He meowed.

"Thank you. Oh, would you rather speak cat-to-cat?"

"You can turn into a cat just like C.C.?"

"Yes. I didn't expect that I would need to when I was told your world needed a hero." Luna placed a hand on her pendant, a bright light surrounding her. Once it dissipated, Alderheart saw a white she-cat now standing in front of him. _Wow…she's beautiful._ He thought, a small blush forming on his face. He shook the feeling away when he remembered what she just told him.

"Wait, so you're the one who brought Noctis here?" She nodded.

"Yes. I'm also the one who thanked you after you saved him."

"Oh, that _was_ you, wasn't it, Luna?" He realized. "I'm glad I finally am getting to meet the owner of that voice. I've been curious for a while about it."

"My apologies that we couldn't converse any time sooner."

"It's alright." He gazed around the plain. "So, what did you need to talk to me about? Is C.C. around here?" Luna shook her head.

"She isn't. After fixing everything with Lelouch, she left."

"So, are you taking her place from now on?"

"You could say that. Being an oracle, this position does suit me. However, I won't be here forever. Just as long as Noctis is here."

"Oh…I guess that makes sense." _I wish I got to thank C.C. for everything she's done. Hopefully I'll meet her again someday._

"Don't be sad, Alderheart. I know how much you and Noctis are getting along. I'm sure he'd be as sad if he left right now, too."

"That reminds me: do you know where Noctis is? I assume you're watching him from up here."

"I do. That is why I needed to talk with you."

"So you're the one who put me _and_ Noct to sleep, huh?" She nodded.

"I'm sorry. It was the only way I could talk with you, especially since you didn't go to sleep last night." She meowed. "Now listen, Alderheart. What I am about to tell you pertains to Noctis." Alderheart felt his body tense up. Was something about to happen? Was it another prophecy?

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes. Right now, he's out looking for Twigpaw and SkyClan." Alderheart's eyes widened in shock.

"What?! He doesn't know his way around the forest at all! He could get hurt, or even worse!" Luna shook her head.

"You have no need to worry; I will be guiding him until he finds Twigpaw."

"You know your way around here?" She nodded. "Thank StarClan. Wait, so does that mean you're also talking to him right now?"

"No. Noctis is currently resting, which is why I'm here right now talking with you." The white she-cat meowed. "I had to tell him to leave last night so that he wouldn't be followed. The last thing we both want is more of your Clan being in danger."

"But…how do I cover up Noctis not being around ThunderClan? Maybe if I tell my father what you've told me, he'll believe me and assure everyone in camp that Noctis is safe."

"Yes, I think that should work. I wish I could be there to help you persuade everyone, but we'll have to hope that they all believe you. This is for the sake of keeping your Clanmates safe, after all."

"I'm sure they'll all be relieved knowing that Noctis is going to find Twigpaw." The medicine cat said. "Thank you for telling me all of this, Luna. To be honest, it helped relieve me of being worried about Noct as well."

"You're welcome, Alderheart. Noctis was worried about leaving without saying anything, too, but I promise that he'll be back in ThunderClan with Twigpaw safely."

"I can't wait to see him again." Luna let out a smile, Alderheart watching as the she-cat began to fade from his vision, along with his surroundings.

Alderheart opened his eyes and saw that he was back in the apprentice's den. He let out a yawn and looked outside to see that the sun was beginning to set. _Already? I'll never understand the how the flow of time in my dreams work._ He got up from his moss bedding and climbed up the Highledge to reach his father's den. He entered and saw Bramblestar.

"Alderheart, is something wrong?" He asked his son.

"It's about Noctis. I just spoke to Luna. She's the one who brought Noctis to this world. She told me that Noctis went out to find Twigpaw and help her find SkyClan."

"What?! All by himself?"

"No, Luna's helping him, so there's no need to worry about him. I just wanted to tell you so that you could tell the whole Clan before they worry about him being gone. Plus, it means that Twigpaw should be safe, hopefully."

"I hope so. Very well, I shall tell everyone about this. Thank you for telling me, Alderheart." Bramblestar got up and walked out of his den, calling for a Clan meeting immediately. Once he saw that he got everyone's attention, he began. "Some of you may have noticed that Noctis has been missing for the whole day. Alderheart has just told me that he has gone out to find Twigpaw and SkyClan." The cats all began talking amongst each other. "He is being guided by an acquaintance of his, who has told Alderheart that we should not worry about his safety."

"Wait, so does that mean that Kirito, Dovewing, and Tigerheart are out there searching for nothing?" Berrynose questioned.

"We can't be for sure." Alderheart meowed. "Maybe Noctis will meet them along the way. Luna, the cat who brought Noct here, didn't say anything about them. She just said that she didn't want any of us to be in danger now by following him."

"So…does that mean Twigpaw is okay?" Ivypool wondered.

"From what Luna told me…she's guiding Noct until they find Twigpaw…so it sounds like she is."

"Oh thank StarClan."

"Indeed." Bramblestar meowed. "This is just the news we need with everything that has currently been going on. We can now focus on the rogues, and it is all thanks to you, Alderheart." The medicine cat licked his chestfur in embarrassment.

"It's nothing, I'm just the messenger, after all." Alderheart gazed at his Clanmates and saw the joy in their eyes from the news. _Things are finally getting better. Hopefully it stays that way for a while._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Noctis slowly opened his eyes and let out a yawn. _Another morning, another excruciating day filled with walking._ He thought, letting out a small groan.

"You're not giving up now, are you?" He turned to see Luna behind him.

"Not by a long shot. My paws are definitely going to constantly be killing me, though." He meowed. "How are yours not bothering you, Luna?"

"I never said they weren't. I just know not to complain about them." She replied with a small giggle. It had been a few days ever since Noctis left ThunderClan in search of Twigpaw. He walked past countless trees and crossed a fair amount of roads as well, but there was still no sign of the apprentice.

"Whenever you feel like stopping and taking a break, just tell me. So far, we've always been stopping on account of me wanting to." Noctis said. "Also, I don't think I've seen you eat at all during this trip. Do you not have to since you're normally just watching over me?"

"Yes. You don't have to worry about me. Besides, it's cute watching you hunt and eat like a cat." A blush formed on the tom's face.

"T-Thanks, I guess." Noctis lifted his head up, sniffing the air. "I think I smell breakfast nearby." He headed into the forest and looked around, making sure to move slowly to not scare his prey. His eyes quickly became fixated on the nearby mouse and he slowly crept towards it. Once he was at a reasonable distance, he pounced and finished it off with a swift bite to the neck. With the mouse in his jaws he turned around and walked over to where Luna was. "Cute enough for you?"

"Very." Noctis let out a small chuckle and brought his head closer to the mouse to take a bite. He suddenly brought his head away from it and looked at Luna. "I know you said you don't get hungry, but that doesn't mean that you can't eat it. Did you want a bite?"

"I'm fine, really." She assured him.

"You really are missing out." He took a bite of the mouse and began to chew. "I promise."

"No, that's disgusting!"

"I thought you said I looked cute when I eat."

"You do; it's the fact that it's a dead mouse that I find detestable!" She responded. "Can you just eat so we can continue finding Twigpaw?"

"Fine." Noctis continued eating his mouse. "You know, we haven't spent a lot of time to realize this, but you look cute when you're angry." He teased, causing Luna to blush.

"Just eat."

After Noctis finished his mouse, the two continued on their journey together. They reached another road a few hours later, but before Noctis could cross, Luna stopped him.

"Is something wrong?" She nodded. "What is it?"

"It's Twigpaw. She was here. Look over there." She pointed her tail towards the edge of the road on the other side. Noctis looked both ways before he ran across, Luna following behind him. Near a tunnel, Noctis saw what appeared to be a stain of dried blood on the side of the road. He gave it a sniff, his eyes immediately going wide.

"It's…Twigpaw's…" He realized. "She can't be dead…you said that I'd be the one to find her! Is this what you meant by that?!"

"Noctis, calm down, please." Luna placed her tail on his shoulder and pressed her coat into his. "I know it looks bad, but Twigpaw's still alive. My reason for being able to walk beside you right now is because I'm helping you find her. I can sense her presence still, but it seems to be a bit farther from here."

"Really?" She nodded. "You had me worried, you know that?"

"I know, and I'm sorry for that." She apologized.

"No, it's okay. I probably blasted your ears with my yelling, didn't I?" Luna gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Don't worry about me. I know how much you care about Twigpaw." The white she-cat assured him. "We should get going now before we're seen by anyone."

"Right. Lead the way, Luna."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Are you sure that Bramblestar will be okay with all of this?" Mothwing meowed as she, Alderheart, and Asuna walked towards the lake. Two days ago, the rogues had attacked RiverClan and lost, causing some of the cats to take refuge in ThunderClan, while some were being kept as prisoner in RiverClan's own camp, now taken over by the rogues.

"I'm sure he wouldn't, which is why I didn't ask." Alderheart meowed.

"I mean, he is your father, after all." Asuna added.

"I just hope you both don't get in trouble for this." The golden tabby stated. "I need to know how the cats in RiverClan are doing. I'm really grateful for you both."

"It's no trouble at all, Mothwing. We're glad to help."

"Yeah." _Am I though? The rogues are there now too. I really appreciate Asuna joining us, but I mainly wanted her here for protection. StarClan, please don't let anything happen to her. I couldn't live with myself knowing that I dragged her into this._ Once the cats reached the edge of the lake, they looked towards WindClan, and then towards ShadowClan. "Which way now?"

"WindClan's the lesser of two evils. The last thing we want is to encounter rogues early on." Asuna suggested.

"I agree. We might have a hard time with WindClan, but that'll just be verbally. Plus, they let Mistystar pass yesterday."

"She went back?"

"Yes. She took some of our warriors in hope of saving the imprisoned RiverClan cats, along with our fallen Clanmates…but she lost. One of the rogues, Raven, threatened to kill the RiverClan cats if we tried to attack again."

"This is horrible! We have to do something about them before anything else happens!"

"Right. Mothwing, do you have some sort of plan?"

"Willowshine and I have a storage of herbs built up. I was hoping that maybe they'd let us take them." She told the two ThunderClan medicine cats.

"It's worth a shot." Alderheart replied. He looked over at Asuna and saw worry in her gaze. "Asuna?"

"Yes, Alderheart?"

"I was just wondering if you were okay."

"I'm fine. It's just…I can't believe how horrible things have gotten with the rogues here. I know things were going to get bad, but…I miss the days when I got to spend time with you and the others without having to worry about any battle injuries, or death, for that matter."

"Things will get better, we just don't know exactly when." He assured her. "I promise." _My words sound like they have some sort of merit, but they're empty. Can things really get better from here on out?_ The three cats began following the edge of the lake towards WindClan, making their way through the stream between WindClan and ThunderClan territory. As soon as they hopped onto the other side of the bank, a WindClan patrol appeared in front of them.

"What do you three want?" Sedgewhisker asked them. "I thought we made it clear yesterday that Onestar doesn't want visitors from any Clan."

"We don't want to see him. We just want to pass through to get to RiverClan." He told her. Sedgewhisker suddenly seemed more calm, her hostility vanishing for the most part.

"Well…I guess…"

"No, don't let them!" Leaftail, one of the cats she was on patrol with, exclaimed. "It's probably just another ThunderClan trick!"

"Hey, mouse-brain, they're medicine cats." She retorted. "Okay, we'll let you pass, but step more than three tail-lengths away from the water and you'll be sorry."

"Thank you, Sedgewhisker." Mothwing told her, bowing her head in thanks. The three continued onward, following the lakeshore.

"So…what did she mean by making it clear yesterday?" Alderheart wondered.

"Oh. After coming back from RiverClan, Mistystar sent some warriors to WindClan to ask for help, but a WindClan patrol just told them to turn back. Onestar apparently doesn't want to speak with anyone other than his Clan."

"It's probably because of what happened during the first battle." Asuna meowed. "Whatever Darktail told him definitely had an effect on him." The three made their way closer to the Horseplace, but Mothwing suddenly stopped.

"I'm sorry for getting you both dragged into this mouse-brained idea. I just…don't know what else to do."

"It's not your fault. Like we said before, we're grateful to help in any way we can." He assured her. "Did you hear about Dawnpelt?"

"Alderheart, no…" Asuna begged for him not to continue. Both she and Asuna were really close while she was ShadowClan's interim medicine cat. "I can't stop worrying about her. There's no way Strikestone and Juniperclaw came back to camp without her."

"Do you think Darktail did something to her?"

"Of course he did! Before I left, I could tell she was hesitant to stay. She only did because her kits were staying behind."

"Maybe we'll be lucky and find her with the other RiverClan cats." Alderheart stated. _Who am I kidding? That's just wishful thinking._ They continued towards the RiverClan border and once they crossed it, they could only faintly scent RiverClan's scent markers, the grotesque rouge smell now filling their nostrils. They treaded lightly and cautiously through the territory, the possibility of encountering the rogues becoming an immense danger now.

"It's so quiet. Maybe it means that there aren't enough cats to patrol two pieces of territory." Mothwing meowed. The farther the three walked into RiverClan territory, the stronger the rogue scent became. _They have to be around here._ Alderheart thought as they reached the stream bordering RiverClan camp. Right before they could cross, three heads appeared over the top of the bank on the other side. They made their way to the water's edge, waiting for the three medicine cats. Once they crossed, Asuna noticed that one of the cats was Needletail, causing her claws to unsheathe and dig into the ground.

"I think the last thing you three want is a fight." The long-furred black she-cat meowed.

"Asuna." Alderheart bumped softly into her, the she-cat realizing what had happened. She sheathed her claws back, a scornful look still on her face.

"Now, what are you three doing here?" Asuna looked behind Needletail and noticed that it was Violetpaw. _Violetpaw…is this really the life you wanted? One where you hurt that cat you meant so much to?_

"Hello, Raven." Mothwing greeted. "We have come to collect the herbs in my storage."

"Are you serious? This is Kin territory now!" Needletail spat.

"I'm aware, but medicine cats are allowed to cross Clan borders. I really need those herbs for all my Clanmates now in ThunderClan."

"Yeah, well guess what? We're _Kin_ , not Clan cats. This territory belongs to us, and it'll stay that way, right, Needletail?"

"Right." She nodded. "You three better turn back home if you know what's good for you." The three turned around to head back home, Alderheart gazing back at Needletail and Violetpaw. _What happened to you both? Please tell me that you both have some realization that you're on the wrong side._ As he looked at the older warrior, he noticed her expression change. "Wait." The other two she-cats turned around. "We'll let you come, if you tell Puddleshine what the herbs are used for." Asuna looked at her in confusion. _Puddleshine knows almost every herb. Leafpool and I worked hard teaching him…unless…Needletail's actually helping us._ She looked over at the silver she-cat and saw that once their eyes connected, Needletail looked away from her.

"Fine. Just don't think about setting a paw anywhere you don't belong, or you might not return home." Raven threatened. They nodded. The three Kin now surrounded the medicine cats, guiding them to RiverClan camp. Once they made it, they looked down at it in horror. Debris were scattered all around the camp ground, the ferns that sheltered the dens were torn, and every cat they saw looked dirty and hungry. As they made their way across camp, Asuna noticed Violetpaw caught up to walk beside her.

"H-How's Twigpaw? Is her injury healing up?" Asuna could feel her body tense up. It was obvious that she didn't want to be here just as much as the three medicine cats, but now she was too far in. One mishap could mean certain death from the rogues, even for a young cat like her.

"Yes…Twigpaw's recovering just fine, Violetpaw." Asuna lied, knowing that the news of her sister running away would be too much to add to the struggles she was now facing.

"Thank you." She meowed before leaving the group. _Violetpaw…_ The three made their way across another stream into the medicine cat's den, which was a cave with a roof supported by tree roots. They saw that Puddleshine was busy sorting herbs and once he heard their pawsteps on the pebbles at the front of the cave, he turned around.

"Asuna!" He walked over to the she-cat and the two shared a quick greeting with each other. "What are you three doing here?"

"They've come to collect some herbs, but in exchange, they're going to teach you about some, such as…" Needletail grabbed a piece of watermint. "This."

"But that's easy. It's watermint. Used to treat bellyaches." He meowed. Asuna looked at him in worry. He had to catch on to what Needletail was doing. Puddleshine looked over at Needletail and Raven, still confused by what was going on. "But…that was just one of the herbs I know. I still have a lot to learn about, like…this one." He picked out a marigold flower. _He figured it out! There's no way he'd forget what marigold does. It was one of the first herbs Leafpool and I taught him._

"That's marigold. It's used to treat infections." Mothwing explained. As she continued on teaching Puddleshine about herbs he already knew about, Alderheart took the time to speak with Needletail. He gave her a small nudge and moved over to the side to talk with her. Asuna gazed over at the two before she turned her gaze back to Puddleshine.

"Is everything okay? How are you doing? I heard something happened to Rain."

"Rain's dead." She calmly meowed. "But's it's fine, really. It's for the best."

"Oh…well how about you? How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. Yup, everything's fine." She meowed, trying to sound enthusiastic about it all, even though Alderheart could see through her façade. "Actually, I was wondering how Dawnpelt was doing in ThunderClan."

"She's not in ThunderClan. Isn't she with you and the rogues still?"

"No. She went to live in ThunderClan with her parents and littermate." Needletail looked over at Alderheart, a blank expression on his face.

"I'm sorry, Needletail, but she hasn't come to our camp at all." Alderheart noticed her eyes widen in horror, the fur on her neck suddenly standing up. _Something's going on, and I'm sure it's not good at all._ "Do you know what—" Alderheart was cut off by Needletail.

"It something happened to her, it's her own fault!" Alderheart's gaze turned to the side and he saw that Raven was monitoring them both, listening carefully to their conversation. _She can't tell me anything that's going on with Raven here. I've never seen Needletail this frightened about something before. What exactly is going on here with the rogues?_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Lelouch sat down in the middle of ThunderClan, a thrush in between his paws. RiverClan refugees had joined the Clan a few days ago, which he didn't mind. It was the fact that two of their warriors had died fighting the rogues, one of them being Petalfur. He remembered her as the RiverClan cat who had a crush on him the first time he arrived in the forest. _She shouldn't have died…not this soon._ _I never got to see her after returning here…_ He took a bite of his thrush. _From what Alderheart told me, Dawnpelt might be dead, too. We have to stop the rogues before any more lives are taken._

"Mind if I join you?" Lelouch looked and saw that it was Ivypool.

"I think I'd be in trouble if I said no." She let out a smile and sat next to him, putting her mouse down.

"I don't think I've ever seen ThunderClan this full in my life."

"Yeah…"

"Are you still thinking about Petalfur?" She asked, the tom nodding. "She had one of the cutest crushes on you. I remember when we went to RiverClan that one time, her brother would always tease her about it."

"You don't seem mad about that."

"Why would I? It's not like she'd ever steal you from me…unless you like her, too."

"I barely even knew anything about her. It's just…the fact that I knew who she was and knowing that she's now in StarClan hurts. Do you know what I mean?" She nodded. "How about you? Has Twigpaw been on your mind even after Alderheart found out that Noctis is out looking for her?"

"Of course she is. I won't stop worrying until I see her back in camp." Ivypool meowed. "I should never had tried talking her out of it. I just…didn't want Dovewing and Tigerheart going out together…"

"Is that really why? You don't trust him still after everything that happened?"

"It's not that. It's just that…you know that Dovewing's mate has to be from the same Clan. I don't want her getting in trouble."

"I see. Ivypool, your heart is in the right place, but…maybe they're willing to take the risk. Wouldn't you do the same if I was from another Clan?"

"Of course I would! I just…I don't know, Lelouch."

"It's okay. You just want Dovewing to be alright." The two heard yowls and pawsteps racing towards the camp, Lelouch immediately getting to his paws, readying for a possible attack from the rogues. He soon calmed down, however, when he saw that it was Dovewing, Tigerheart, and Kirito, the three finally returning from looking for Twigpaw. They saw that Dovewing was talking with Alderheart. The two approached the gray warrior, who turned to look at them. Her gaze was filled with sorrow.

"Twigpaw…" Dovewing shook her head.

"All we found was blood near the tunnel where Alderheart found her. We think a monster took her life." Lelouch placed his tail on Ivypool's shoulder. "But…is what Alderheart told me true? Is Noctis actually out there looking for her?"

"Yeah. He told us that he's being guided to where she is." Lelouch replied. "Are you sure that she's dead?"

"Kirito tried using his tracking and searching skills, but he couldn't find her at all. If Noctis is still being guided to find her, then maybe she is alive after all."

"It's possible. You said you think she got hit by a monster, right?" Dovewing nodded. "So, that can mean either two things: One, she had the strength to run away after being hit, or two, the people inside of the car took her to the vet. I think the latter is more plausible."

"Vet?" Ivypool looked at her mate in confusion.

"It's where sick or injured animals are treated. They'd take good care of her there, but after they nurse her back to full health, she might go to a shelter. If Noctis can be led to exactly where Twigpaw is, he'd have to save her from inside the building they're keeping her in."

"That's a relief. I'm starting to wonder why Kirito never told us this." Dovewing wondered.

"Because he's not the smartest cat in all of the forest." Ivypool meowed, snuggling her mate's shoulder. Tigerheart padded over to join the three, Ivypool avoiding his gaze.

"Hey, did they tell you about Noct going out to find Twigpaw?"

"Yeah. Lelouch thinks that there's a chance she's still alive and out there. He says there are Twolegs who are like medicine cats who help injured or sick animals."

"Phew, that's a huge burden off of everyone's shoulders. I thought we'd be coming back with some horrible news. It's great to hear that she might be okay after all." The tabby tom stated. "You should tell this to Bramblestar, Lelouch."

"Right. It might help assure the belief that Twigpaw's still alive." He said. "I'll be back." Lelouch saw Bramblestar speaking with Alderheart nearby and made his way over to him. The two looked over at the violet-eyed tom once his presence became known.

"Lelouch, did you already hear from Dovewing, Tigerheart, or Kirito?" Alderheart asked, the tom nodding his head.

"Yeah. The fact that you don't seem as worried tells me that you know Twigpaw's still alive?"

"You could say that. With what Luna told me, I have to hope that she somehow survived being hit by a monster. She wouldn't just be leading Noct astray all this time."

"Exactly. I believe that she's being tended to by a vet as we speak. It would be what most humans would do if they struck an animal by accident." He assured them.

"This is good news. Everyone around here still seems to feel like Twigpaw is still alive, even after being told a monster hit her. Your prophecy has given everyone a strong sense of hope, Alderheart."

"I'll make sure to thank Luna if I ever speak with her again." Alderheart said. _I'm just relieved that those three came back in one piece. That journey is no laughing matter. With Kirito back, we also have another amazing fighter for a potential rogue attack. Things are slowly getting better._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"Hold on everyone! Give them some room!" Asuna commanded as she made her way through the crowd of cats, Jayfeather tailing behind her. The next morning seemed well, until Lionblaze, Rosepetal, and Berrynose returned from their patrol, the three looking as if they were just battling. "You all need to be treated to."

"Before that, we need to know what happened." Bramblestar stated.

"It was the rogues. We ran into them on our border with ShadowClan." Rosepetal told him.

"Please don't tell me that you crossed the border in any sort of way."

"We didn't! They went onto our territory and attacked us!" Berrynose exclaimed.

"We retreated, but only because we were outnumbered." Lionblaze added.

"One of them yelled at us. He said that ThunderClan would be next and that it was only a matter of time." Rosepetal stated.

"Of course it is! We need to do something about the rogues before that time comes, or else we'll all be in trouble!" Rowanstar said.

"You're the one to talk." Mistystar hissed. "If it weren't for you leaving them in ShadowClan territory, we'd still be in RiverClan territory, but now it belongs to the rogues as well! This is all ShadowClan's fault and I won't allow any more lives to be taken." The two leaders stood up and faced each other, their noses almost touching as they glared at each other, resentment in their eyes.

"That's enough you two! The last thing we need is to fight amongst each other." Bramblestar snapped. "I understand that we need to do something, but it won't be easy. If we attack, we're putting the RiverClan prisoners at risk. From here on out, we have to be cautious of our every move."

"I still can't believe how WindClan is acting. How long is Onestar going to let the other Clans suffer?" Rowanstar wondered, but everyone stayed silent. Bramblestar made his way up to the Highledge and raised his voice.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" He called out, getting any cats who were in the dens outside. Most of the cats were already outside listening to him, but once he saw other cats appear, he began. "We need a plan. You all are aware that RiverClan has been driven out by the rogues. I know that it is crowded here, but we must do what we can to help each other. Rowanstar is right in saying that we can't live with the rogues here and that we need to do something, but with circumstances as they are, our options are very limited. If any cat has an idea, please, don't hesitate to say something." The whole crowd was silent, until Lionblaze stood up and cleared his throat.

"Yesterday, Cinderheart and I found out that we're expecting our second litter of kits." His Clanmates around him cheered in joy, but it quickly died out. "I can't have my kits living in a world where we're expected to leave our territory countless times. Could the Clans even still exist by the time they're born? I don't want to sound negative, but this is the first time that I've thought of it being a possibility." Cinderheart padded beside her mate and rested her tail on his shoulder.

"We can't let this happen to our kits." She meowed. "What will happen to us if the Clans cease to exist?"

"That can't happen…can it?" Mousewhisker wondered.

"The Clans have always been here." Poppyfrost added.

"I understand, but right now, we can't act like the Clans aren't in trouble. Even with the prophecy, we haven't made any progress on solving it, and it's been that way for moons." He stated. "The sky truly has darkened above all the Clans, and if we can't work together to form a solution…we could possibly lose everything."

"Noctis is looking for SkyClan as we speak." Alderheart responded.

"But what if he comes back too late? What then?" Cloudtail stated. Alderheart had no response. Would that really be a possibility? Tension filled the air as the cats in the clearing all became uneasy, worry filling all their minds. The silence was finally broken by Mistystar.

"My Clan needs time to rest and heal. We can't attack until then…but we also can't let my Clanmates stay imprisoned by the rogues either." The crowd again grew silent, until Lelouch spoke up.

"Sparkpelt and I thought of an idea, but I need to hope that all the pieces have naturally fallen into place." He meowed.

"Excellent. What's the plan that you both thought of, Lelouch?" Bramblestar wondered. All eyes turned towards the violet-eyed tom, everyone keen to listen to his plan.

"One of our main concerns is the RiverClan prisoners, right? If we can find a way to sneak out one of two of them at a time, we should be able to free them. Juniperclaw and Strikestone defecting from the rogues and coming to us is proof that some of the cats would be more than happy to assist us. We'd just need to find out who those cats are and tell them the plan." He turned his attention to the two cats he mentioned. "Do you both know of any cats willing to help us?"

"It's hard to say." Juniperclaw meowed.

"I think I might know a few…but I'm not entirely sure about where their loyalty lies." Alderheart meowed.

"I believe that we should think about this plan more carefully. We don't want to discuss our strategy with the wrong cats. For now, we'll sleep on Lelouch's plan." With that, Bramblestar called the meeting to an end. Alderheart began walking with Asuna and Jayfeather back to the medicine cat's den, the three injured cats trailing behind them.

"Jayfeather!" Alderheart turned around and saw that it was Lelouch catching up with them. "I was hoping that you wouldn't mind if I spoke with Alderheart. I'll bring him back as soon as I'm done."

"Fine. Don't let him off of his duties for too long." The medicine cat turned back around, Alderheart leaving the group.

"I'm sure you know what I need to talk with you about."

"The cats I believe can help, right?" He nodded. "Well…I went over to RiverClan with Asuna and Mothwing the other day, and Needletail helped us with something. I also could tell that Violetpaw seemed worried about being there too."

"We can't let Violetpaw do this alone. I don't want to put an apprentice's life in danger. On the journey, I saw what Needletail was capable of, but like your father says, I want to be positive that she's willing to help break the RiverClan cats free."

"Right. I could try to speak with her again." Lelouch shook his head.

"No. Putting you in danger is the last thing I want. If she somehow brings herself to join us here, I'll talk to her about the plan. Understand?"

"Yeah…" Alderheart's voice trailed off before he turned around and headed back to the medicine cat's den.

"Alderheart," He turned to see Lelouch's violet gaze. "I mean it. I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing that you got hurt because of my plan."

"I promise that I'll stay in ThunderClan, Lelouch."

"Thank you." Lelouch turned around and as he was walking, Sparkpelt approached him. "Got anything to add to the idea, Sparkpelt?"

"Not that I can think of right now, but…I just wanted to thank you, y'know, for giving me credit on the idea."

"Why wouldn't I? You thought of the main part and I added the requirements. If anything, I should've put a better emphasis on the fact that you were the one who thought about it." He told her. "You've grown so much ever since I got here, Sparkpelt. It feels like yesterday I would go out into the forest with you and Cherryfall to train you. I know I don't really tell you this, but I'm proud of you." A blush formed on the orange tabby's face.

"T-Thank you, Lelouch. It really means a lot, especially coming from you. You're so intelligent, kind, brave, and helpful. The next apprentice you have is going to be super lucky." She meowed. "I really hope the plan works."

"I hope it does too, for both our sakes. We can't really turn away from it now if it goes wrong."

"Hopefully everyone forgets I helped think about it if it does. Then _you'll_ be the one taking all the blame." She joked, letting out a small giggle.

"Why am I not surprised?" He meowed. "On a serious note, if you have any ideas in the future, I'd be more than happy to help you out with thinking on how to implement them."

"I'd like that. Lelouch's Seal of Approval would be just what they need." She let out a smile. "I'll see you later, Lelouch. I'm due for a hunting patrol in a few minutes."

"Well I don't want to hold you back from it. I'll see you later, Sparkpelt." _This plan has to work. If we can pull it off flawlessly, we'll have nothing to worry about if we attack the rogues. Then, Noctis could return with SkyClan, too, and once they come, we'll finally get rid of the rogues once and for all._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Nightheart, Sorrelstripe, and Molewhisker walked through ThunderClan territory as they went on border patrol. They had to stay wary, especially with the rogues who had attacked one of the patrols a few days ago. So far, they didn't catch scent of any rogues on their territory, which was a good thing. As they were walking, Nightheart stopped, causing the other two to do the same.

"What's wrong, Nightheart?" Sorrelstripe wondered.

"It's the rogues. I can smell them now. Do you also hear that? It sounds like they're coming closer as well."

"We should walk through these ferns before they have a chance to get us. Plus, it'll be more open." Molewhisker suggested. "I'll go first." He walked through the plants, the other two following behind. Once they joined him, they noticed a small black-and-white cat on the other side of the small stream.

"Wait, is that…Violetpaw!" Nightheart cried out in joy.

"Nightheart, keep quiet! We don't want the rogues to know we're here." Molewhisker warned her.

"Right, sorry." She apologized. The three watched as Violetpaw approached them, bowing her head when she was pawsteps away from them. "Violetpaw, what are you doing here?"

"I was hoping that I could get some help…and I wanted to see how Twigpaw was doing." She explained.

"How can we be sure that we can trust you?" Molewhisker meowed.

"I think we can, Molewhisker. Father told me that Alderheart said she looked terrified when he saw her." The violet-eyed she-cat assured him. "Violetpaw, do you promise that you're not tricking us?"

"Yes. I'm the only one here. If you want, you could leave someone here to watch while you both escort me." She stated. "Please, believe me." Nightheart looked over at the other two, receiving nods from them both. "Thank you so much."

"How are the RiverClan cats doing?" Sorrelstripe wondered.

"They're okay, but I don't know for how long. That's why I came here to get help." The apprentice told them. Nightheart's eyes suddenly glowed with joy.

"You're the one who can help us, Violetpaw!" She exclaimed softly. "Bramblestar and the others can explain everything once you get to camp." Nightheart took the lead while the other two flanked Violetpaw on both sides. When they passed through the thorn tunnel and entered camp, Violetpaw saw just how filled it was; ThunderClan, RiverClan, and ShadowClan scents intermingled with each other. "Follow me. Bramblestar's over here." Violetpaw stopped, causing the black she-cat to turn around. "Don't worry, no cat is going to hurt you."

"It's not that…it's just…can I see Twigpaw?" Violetpaw could see Nightheart's gaze soften, but she stayed silent.

"Wait here. I know someone who can take over for me." Nightheart headed over towards the medicine cat's den. Violetpaw watched in joy as she saw Alderheart walking over to her, Asuna following behind him.

"Violetpaw. Thank goodness you're okay." Asuna meowed, letting out a sigh of relief.

"How have you and Needletail been doing? Needletail insisted that everything was okay, but I could tell that wasn't the case."

"Yeah. Darktail cares only about loyalty to him, and any cat who he thinks is being led astray, he punishes, and that includes Needletail." She could see Alderheart's gaze fill with concern. He and Needletail were close, so she could imagine just how worried the news made him. Soon, hope rekindled in the medicine cat's eyes.

"Violetpaw, can we trust you?" He asked her. The apprentice nodded.

"Yes. I now know how big of a mistake I made by staying with Darktail and the rogues instead of leaving with Asuna." She looked up at the cream she-cat. "I'm so sorry for not going with you, Asuna. It's because of me that you and Needletail hate each other. I-I just…I knew she wouldn't leave, and I didn't want to leave her behind."

"You don't have to apologize, Violetpaw. The only thing that has ever mattered to me is that you were okay." She assured her. A sudden warmth filled the apprentice from the caring eyes of the two cats in front of her.

"Violetpaw, we've been looking for a cat who could go inside of the rogue camp and help us save the RiverClan cats."

"Alderheart, don't tell me you're thinking of making Violetpaw the one to go back in there." Asuna meowed.

"I know you don't like it, and neither will Lelouch, but what other choice do we have? Needletail was our other option, but you heard what Violetpaw said; she's being punished by Darktail." He responded. "Violetpaw, we need a cat who is able to influence Darktail. Do you—."

"I'll do it! Darktail trusts me. I'll do whatever you need me to do." Alderheart looked at the apprentice, a smile on his face.

"Thank you, Violetpaw." He meowed. "I'll take you to the leaders so we can talk about this." He beckoned her with his tail.

"Before that…could I talk with Twigpaw? I've felt so terrible after what happened during the battle. I need to apologize to her." Alderheart and Asuna both looked at each other.

"Violetpaw…Twigpaw left the camp half a moon ago." Asuna told her. "Kirito, Dovewing, and Tigerheart went out looking for her, but all they found was blood on the side of the road near where Alderheart found you both." Pain immediately filled the apprentice's gaze.

"So…my sister…is she…dead?" Alderheart shook his head.

"You might have saw him in the last battle, but a cat named Noctis is out there looking for her along with your kin in SkyClan. He's being guided to wherever Twigpaw is."

"Oh thank StarClan…" She let out a sigh of relief. "Wait…did you say that I had kin in SkyClan?"

"I'm sure of it. I had a vision where I saw a bunch of cats, one of them looked like he would be your father." A smile formed on Violetpaw's face after Alderheart's addition to the news about her sister.

"Thank you for telling me all of this, Alderheart. I'm ready to speak with Bramblestar about the plan now." She told him.

"Alderheart, I don't think that's a good idea. She's been away from the rogues for too long. We can't let them be suspicious about Violetpaw." Asuna told the tom.

"Asuna's right. Violetpaw, you should head back now. I'll speak with Bramblestar and the leaders about you becoming part of the plan. Just keep it in your head for now." Violetpaw dipped her head in thanks to the two before leaving the camp and making her way back to the rogues.

"I'll tell Jayfeather that you're speaking to Bramblestar."

"Great. Thanks, Asuna." Alderheart looked around before heading to speak with Bramblestar. He knew that his father's approval was his primary concern, but he wanted to speak with Lelouch about Violetpaw before anything. He saw the tom resting in the middle of the camp, speaking with Lionblaze. As he approached, the two toms looked over at him. "Hey you two. Lelouch, could I talk with you for a moment?" The black tom nodded and stood up, following Alderheart to a vacant area in the camp. "Alright, so I found a cat who could help us."

"It's Violetpaw, isn't it?" Alderheart looked at the tom in surprise. "Nightheart told me, and I saw you and Asuna talking with her."

"Oh…right." He meowed. "I know you said that you didn't want her to be the one helping, but she's willing to do it. She also told me that Needletail is being punished by Darktail, so now Violetpaw's our only option. She even says that she's able to easily persuade Darktail, too."

"I really don't want to put her in danger…but if she's the only option we have, I can't refuse." Lelouch told him. "Okay, let's go tell your father and the others about this."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Alderheart crouched to stay hidden inside of a bush next to the Thunderpath dividing RiverClan and ShadowClan. His sister and Ivypool were next to him, while Kirito stood behind, keeping watch for any of the rogues. It had been two days ever since Violetpaw went to ThunderClan and offered to help. A cold breeze blew through the air, moonlight being concealed by the dark clouds above. Silence fell through the forest, until Kirito spotted movement on RiverClan territory.

"Look, over there!" They saw three dark silhouettes appear from the bushes on RiverClan's side. Alderheart sniffed the air, relief now coursing through him realizing that one of the scents was Violetpaw. When they got closer, they noticed that the two cats with her were Oakfur and Ratscar, ShadowClan elders. Once they reached the ThunderClan cats, they plopped down near the bushes, catching their breath.

"You and Lelouch's plan worked, Sparkpelt. Great job." Ivypool told the she-cat.

"It was nothing, really." She meowed modestly. "Here, Ivypool and I caught some prey for you both to eat."

"Right, and while you do that, let me check on you both." Alderheart meowed. He scanned both cats and saw that some of their wounds were infected. He took a piece of marigold in his mouth and chewed it up before placing it on their wounds. "This should help for now. I'll make sure that you're tended to tomorrow." Once he saw that they were finished eating, he placed some traveling herbs in front of them. "They don't taste good, but they'll make the trip to ThunderClan easier for you both." He then turned to Violetpaw. "You did an amazing job, Violetpaw."

"Thanks. I'll try to come back three nights from now."

"Great, I'll make sure to remember that. Be safe on your way back."

"I think you all need that more than me." The apprentice said with a small laugh. "I'll see you all again soon." Alderheart and the others watched as she made her way back to RiverClan.

"Okay, is everyone ready now?" He asked, looking at the elders.

"If it means getting away from here, we're always going to be ready."

"I know that's what I like to hear." Kirito said with a chuckle. "Alright, let's get going." The black tom took the lead, while the other three flanked the elders. They made progress slower than before on account of the elders. Their legs were shaky, but luckily, the forest seemed silent. The five cats then came to a halt once Kirito stopped, his eyes glowing.

"Shoot!" He hissed.

"What?" Alderheart wondered.

"Look over there. It looks like this'll be harder than we though." Kirito replied, pointing his tail towards two of the rogues who seemed to be hunting. "What do we do now?"

"Easy: We find a better route to avoid them." Sparkpelt stated.

"Which is also easier said than done." Her brother responded. "But, it's our only choice. I'm just worried about how the elders are going to fare."

"We'll be okay. There's no need to worry about us." Oakfur assured the tom. The cats headed deeper into ShadowClan territory, hoping that this route would be better. However, with the path they were taking, there was barely any cover. They had to hope that no rogues were out of camp around the area. Caution slowly turned into relief as the pine trees now disappeared, oak and beech trees native to ThunderClan now taking their place. _We're going to make it. Thank StarClan._ Alderheart thought. The cats now traveled down a slope towards a thick bank of ferns when Sparkpelt raised her tail.

"Rogues are patrolling nearby. Get down!" She commanded. The cats all immediately ducked down into the ferns, not making any sudden movements that may give them away.

"We're really close to ThunderClan, I can smell the scent markers." Kirito told them. Just as he finished, Ratscar let out a cough, causing them all to tense up.

"Did you hear that, Loki?" Alderheart could hear the patrol's pawsteps slowly get closer. They were bound to be discovered.

"It's my fault. You all just make a run for it and leave me here." Ratscar told them.

"Are you kidding me? No cat is getting left behind tonight, and I'll make sure of it." Kirito told him, unsheathing his claws. "Alderheart, you make your way to ThunderClan with the elders and I'll buy you all some time."

"We can't! What if they use it as an excuse to attack us? Our whole plan will be going wrong!" He responded. "And what if they call more rogues? You'll be way outnumbered."

"Hey, I was part of making this plan, remember? I think we can afford a bit of deviation." Sparkpelt assured him. "Right, Kirito?"

"They're right. We'll help Kirito here. You just go bring the elders back to ThunderClan." Ivypool added. "Now go!" She gave the medicine cat a shove, urging him to get moving along with the elders.

"You know I could take these two on by myself." Kirito muttered to the she-cats.

"It's no wonder why Asuna's always worrying about you." Ivypool responded, causing the tom to let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, she really does worry too much, but sometimes she's right to worry."

"Can we get out of here and fight them already?" Sparkpelt complained.

"Yeah. This should be easy." The three cats emerged from the ferns and appeared in front of the two rogues.

"What are you three doing here?" Roach commanded.

"We just—." Kirito quickly sidestepped as Loki tried pouncing on him. "Seriously? If you want to talk with fighting, that's fine with us." Kirito leaped toward Roach, claws unsheathed. The rogue dodged it, and the two now stood face to face with each other, ready to fight. "You can avoid getting hurt, y'know."

"We'd never back down from a fight!"

"Looks like we share that in common." The two charged towards each other, Kirito using his speed to go on the defensive first, dodging Roach's initial strikes. There were some times where the rogue would predict his movements, Kirito sustaining minor scratches. When Kirito saw an opening, he quickly swiped at Roach's face. He ducked to dodge a direct hit, but Kirito's claws sliced across his ear, causing him to get off of his rhythm. Kirito then pounced towards him, pinning the silver tom to the ground, landing hits on his chest.

"That's enough, what do you want from us?" Roach asked. Kirito looked over and saw that the two she-cat dealt with Loki easily, almost as if they didn't fight at all.

"I was just going to tell you that we crossed into your territory by mistake." Kirito got off of him, allowing the silver furred cat to get up. "We didn't want to fight, but your friend seemed eager to." He could tell that losing didn't sit well with Roach.

"Fine, but make sure you watch where you're stepping next time." The three watched as the rogues retreated back to their camp before making their way onto ThunderClan territory.

"How's your cut?" Sparkpelt asked, noticing the injury on the tom's cheek.

"It's fine. I'm sure it just needs…" Kirito's face suddenly grew hot as he felt Sparkpelt lick his wound. "T-Thanks, Sparkpelt."

"I don't think you could've reached it yourself."

"I know, but…"

"It was almost like a kiss, Sparkpelt." Ivypool told the she-cat with a giggle, causing her to now become flustered.

"W-What, no! I just wanted to help with his wound, that's all!"

"I-It's okay. I know you didn't mean it that way. It's a cat thing, after all." He meowed. "Alderheart must be worried about us. We should get going back to camp."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The cats in ThunderClan huddled together several days later under the Highledge, Bramblestar calling for another Clan meeting. Three days ago, Violetpaw had helped escort Snowbird and her kits to ThunderClan, but now, they needed to take action.

"I can only support any action once my Clanmates are set free." Mistystar declared. "And that's final." Cats around the camp looked around at each other, wondering what the next plan of action would be.

"It seems obvious now." Lelouch meowed, silencing any conversations around the camp. "We need to find a way to free all the prisoners at once, but from what we've learned, they're always being guarded. They're all most likely too weak to start any sort of coup, so that option's out of the picture."

"But…what if we incapacitate the guards?" Tigerheart suggested.

"We'd still have Darktail and the other cats to worry about." Lelouch replied. "But…if we can incapacitate them all at the same time, we'd have a big enough opening."

"Could you go in and use your Geass, Lelouch?" Lionblaze wondered.

"I've thought about it, but at most, I'd be able to get the guards before I'm faced with the rest of the rogues." He responded. "We have to find a way to get the guards, but also Darktail and any cat who would go into action at the sight of the RiverClan cats escaping." Cats began throwing out their ideas, but they all seemed to get ridiculous, almost as if they weren't taking the situation seriously.

"I think I might have an idea." Alderheart called out from the crowd. "I'm supposed to meet with Violetpaw tonight. I'll bring poppy seeds with me, and if she can sneak them into their prey, they should fall asleep, giving time for the prisoners to escape." Lelouch looked at the medicine cat with a smile. _It looks like it runs in the family._

"Lelouch?" Bramblestar looked down at the black tom.

"If Violetpaw can pull it off without getting discovered, it should work."

"Very well. Alderheart, we will go with your plan." Bramblestar stated. "You will meet with Violetpaw tonight." The meeting came to an end, Alderheart proud that his plan was chosen.

"That was an excellent plan, Alderheart." He turned around to see Lelouch walking over to him. "Your expertise with herbs is more than appreciated."

"It's nothing, really. I'm just required to know more than others, so I had a bit of an advantage."

"Right. I mean getting a dog to attack and throwing rocks to crush cats were all great ideas, don't get me wrong." Lelouch meowed, letting out a hint of sarcastic laughter. "Maybe I should step into the medicine cat's den to learn from time to time instead of just going to help Briarlight."

"And let you think of all the great ideas? That's one thing I hope Jayfeather says no to." He replied with a smile. _If this plan works…we'll finally be where we need to be to drive out the rogues and the Clans will finally be back to normal. But…Noctis is still out there looking for Twigpaw and SkyClan. I can only hope that Luna and StarClan are keeping them safe._


	6. Chapter 6: SkyClan

Chapter 6: SkyClan

 _Twigpaw slowly opened_ her eyes and looked around the Twoleg den she was in. She had been staying here for about a quarter moon ever since she was struck by the monster on her way looking for SkyClan. The Twolegs seemed to be taking excellent care of her, the she-cat feeling her strength gradually coming back. _Thank StarClan these Twolegs are kind…but I have to get out of here._ She heard the door click behind her and looked back to see a Twoleg walk in. The one who took care of her usually was a male, but now, a young female with the same white pelt seemed to take his place. She didn't move at all, but instead waited for her daily dose of white pebbles, as per usual.

"You must be expecting to take some medicine, Twigpaw." The apprentice's eyes widened and she looked up at the Twoleg. _How…does she know my name?_

"H-How do you know me?"

"Because I'm helping someone who is looking for you." The surprises kept hitting Twigpaw.

"Y-You can understand me?"

"Yes, but I'm a special case. Not all Twolegs are like me." She told her.

"Thought so." Twigpaw meowed, but then realized what else she was just told. "Wait…you said someone's out there looking for me?" The Twoleg nodded.

"Correct. He's waiting for you outside. I'm going to help you escape. Trust me." The Twoleg carried Twigpaw and brought her out of the room, carrying her until she finally left the Twoleg den. "Okay, just head over behind those bushes over there and you'll find the cat you're looking for."

"T-Thank you!" Twigpaw meowed before she began to run towards the bushes. _It feels so good to move again. Thank StarClan I'm still alive._ When she crossed through the bushes she saw the cat who the Twoleg was talking about. "Noctis…"

"Twigpaw…it's great to…" The apprentice ran over to the tom and pressed herself into his coat.

"W-What are you doing here?" She wondered, sobbing between her words. "I…didn't think I'd see anyone ever again. The monster hit me and I…"

"Hey, easy. What matters is that you're alive. I'm glad she was right about that."

"Did you think I was wrong all this time?" Twigpaw's ears twitched at the sound of the voice. She turned and watched as a beautiful snow white she-cat walked through the bush.

"Y-You sound just like…"

"The vet who set you free?" Noctis meowed.

"You know her?" Twigpaw asked, the tom nodding. "Can someone please explain everything?"

"This is Luna, my 'mate', technically. She's the one who helped me find you. She's also able to go from cat to Twoleg whenever she wants."

"That's so weird…" Twigpaw muttered. "Oh, but thank you so much for helping me escape, Luna."

"You're welcome." The she-cat approached the two. "Listen, Twigpaw. I was only here to help Noctis find you, but you both are still on a quest to look for SkyClan. I sadly cannot help you in that affair. I'm sure you know where you're going, though."

"I do. I'll make sure Noctis is safe too." Luna let out a smile, the she-cat beginning to glow.

"Luna, wait!" Noctis ran over to her. "Thank you for everything. I-I know I don't say it much, but…I love you…so much." The she-cat gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"You don't have to tell me that, Noctis. I know you do…as will I, forever." Luna finally disappeared, leaving a cascade of sylleblossoms behind. The tom let out a sigh before turning to look at Twigpaw.

"You must be starving, huh? Lucky for you I caught this…" Noctis walked through one of the bushes and came out with a mouse, dropping it at her paws. "Don't worry about me, I already ate." Her eyes glowed at the sight of the fresh kill. She couldn't recall the last time she had any. Twigpaw devoured the mouse easily. "You still hungry?"

"A little…but I can manage."

"Here, get on my back. I'll carry you."

"No, I'm okay Noct, really." She assured him.

"Suit yourself." Noctis stretched out his limbs. "Now…let's get looking for SkyClan."

The pair continued on their journey to find SkyClan, walking through various Twolegplaces, hoping that some of the kittypets would have some sort of knowledge on SkyClan, but for the most part, they looked at the two as if they were crazy. They searched on the edge of the area for the yellow barn Alderheart saw in his dream, hoping that SkyClan was still in there. So far, it seemed hopeless, until Twigpaw peered deep into the horizon.

"There it is! Over there!" Twigpaw exclaimed, running.

"Hey, wait up!" Noctis meowed as he followed behind her. When they reached the yellow building, Noctis looked up at it in awe. _It looks massive as a cat._ He thought before following Twigpaw inside. They looked around, but there was no sign of cats in there.

"But…Alderheart said they were here in his vision…" Noctis sniffed the air, his nose twitching.

"No…I think they were. We're just a bit late. Do you smell that faint scent? It's definitely nothing I've smelled before as a human, or as a cat."

"You're right. Maybe I would've made it if I was more careful…" Noctis placed his tail on her shoulder.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Twigpaw. We'll keep looking for as long as it takes. Plus, I don't think you'll want to go back empty-pawed." He joked, causing her to smile.

"Thanks, Noctis." She pressed her flank closer to his. "I think we might be able to follow the scent, but it's going to be hard. I'm surprised you were actually able to detect it."

"You're not the only one. C'mon, we should get following before it disappears entirely." The two began following the scent trail, but it quickly dissipated entirely, leaving the two roaming the nearby woods aimlessly for the next two days. They had no idea where to go now.

"This is hopeless. I failed the Clans, SkyClan, and Luna. I have no idea where else to go!" The apprentice wailed into the sky. The two had been exploring all day. "I'm so stupid…Everyone was right in saying finding SkyClan was ridiculous."

"C'mon, you can't give up now. Your kin is out there somewhere, Twigpaw, and we _will_ find them."

"But I have no idea where else to go, and I doubt you know either, Noctis." She responded. "Can we just rest for now?"

"Yeah. That oak tree looks like its base has a good nest." Noctis walked over to the base of the tree and dug in between its roots before placing some moss over it, creating a nest big enough for the two to share. "It's not like the ones back in camp, but it'll do." Twigpaw made her way into the nest and snuggled inside before Noctis joined right next to her. "You're not too squished, are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you, Noctis." She meowed. "Thanks for actually being my friend…and coming out here to look for me."

"I can't take all the credit for that, Twigpaw." Noctis meowed. "Without Luna telling me that I needed to look for you, I might not be here right now. That's not to say that I don't care about you. Bramblestar sent out Kirito, Dovewing, and Tigerheart to look for you, so we were all hoping that you were out there."

"I hope that they're okay. If they're hurt, it'd be all my fault." Twigpaw said. She then looked down at her paws. "How did everyone react when they realized I was gone? Did Ivypool care?"

"Of course she did! She was one of the most worried cats. You mean so much to her." He meowed. "She blames herself that you left. That's not true, right?"

"No! I left because everyone seemed against me. I know she was, but if it was just her, I wouldn't have left. I just felt like I didn't belong, which is why I went to find my kin who would appreciate me. My own sister even attacked me. Do you know how that feels?"

"I can't say that I do...but I get where you're coming from, if that makes sense." He stated. "Let's get some rest now. We've been through a lot today." As Noctis rested his head down, he felt Twigpaw move closer to him so that their bodies touched. _Things will get better, Twigpaw._

A few hours later, Noctis slowly opened his eyes to the sound of what he guessed was Twigpaw jumping in joy. He saw that she was up, a big smile on her face.

"C'mon sleepyhead, let's get going!"

"That's the…" Noctis let out a yawn. "…spirit. How long were we sleeping?" He looked up and saw that the sun was beginning to set.

"You see it, right?" She asked, Noctis confused on what he was looking at. "While we were sleeping, a cat talked to me! He told me to follow the blood trail in the sky until we can see the full circle of the sun!"

"Really? Well it has to be better than walking around everywhere now knowing where we're heading." He stated, a smile on the tom's face. "I guess we can't go look for some prey before we go?"

"Nope! We gotta go before the sun sets completely!" Twigpaw ran in the direction of the setting sun, Noctis trailing behind her.

The two continued walking through the endless forest for hours, Twigpaw now resting her weary paws by hitching a ride on Noctis' back. The mass of branches above them didn't help in seeing the sun, either. However, hope filled the two as they realized that the amount of trees slowly began to lessen, allowing for a clear view of the sky. Noctis crossed a patch of ferns, finally escaping the forest. The two looked up in the sky and saw the bright shade of scarlet that encompassed it, but there was no sign of the sun.

"We were too late…"

"Hold up…Look over there." Noctis pointed his tail towards the sunset and saw that the ground soon turned into a cliff. "We'll be able to see the sun if we go to the edge."

"Noct, you're a genius!" Twigpaw got off of the tom's back and the two headed over to the slope. "There it is!" They looked up at the bright orb in the sky and watched as it began to set, the red trail beginning to fade. "What…?" Twigpaw lifted her head up to sniff the air, but she didn't pick up any scent of cat. "That dream…I knew it was dumb. Let's just rest and go back home…" She began to walk away from the cliff, while Noctis stayed at the edge, looking down.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Twigpaw. Come over here." The apprentice walked back over to the cliff's edge and saw a sudden gray flash. _Just like in my dream._ Immediately, she scaled down the slope, Noctis clambering behind. "Hold on, watch your step!" When he caught up with her at the bottom, he saw that they arrived at a wide ledge overlooking a shallow valley, a stream at the bottom of it.

"Cats! Noct, look!" Just like before, Twigpaw skidded down the cliff to meet with the other cats. _I can't really blame her, can I?_ He thought as he followed her. He could see that all their eyes were now on them. They all looked skinny and frail, as if they never had fresh-kill in days. The gray cat they saw approached them.

"Who are you?" The tom asked.

"Sorry, we don't mean to scare any of you." Twigpaw apologized. "Are…you all SkyClan?" The cats each looked at each other somberly.

"We're what remains of SkyClan." One of the cats told her. A brown and tabby she-cat stepped forward, dipping her head to greet the two.

"We've been on a journey of a grand size. We've lost many friends along the way and faced many struggles." She explained. "But yes, like one of my comrades says, we are SkyClan. How do you know about us?"

"Oh, well we come from ThunderClan. I'm Twigpaw, and this is my friend, Noctis."

"Sup?" He greeted them coolly. He expected them to be surprised about him, but they all looked excited instead.

"We know about ThunderClan! We've been searching for moons for them!" The cats now surrounded the two, their voices all clamoring together.

"Echosong had a vision!" One cat realized. "She said the fire would burn out, but we should find the spark that remains!"

"The fire has to be Firestar!" Another cat announced. "But…does that mean he died?" Before Twigpaw could answer, all the cats began to reminisce about the ThunderClan leader and all the good deeds he performed for them.

"I don't mean to ruin the mood…but yes, he's dead."

"Who is your new leader?" The brown tabby asked.

"His name is Bramblestar. He's also as great as Firestar."

"I see. My name is Leafstar." The she-cat introduced. "I met Firestar when we used to live in the gorge and he helped rebuild our Clan. Echosong had a dream about our Clan living with the others around a large body of water. We'd be so grateful if you could take us to where the Clans all live now." Before either cat could answer, the gray cat that Noctis and Twigpaw saw stepped forward.

"My name is Hawkwing." He greeted.

"He is the deputy of SkyClan." Leafstar told them. "When Firestar was here, Sharpclaw, Hawkwing's father, was deputy, but he died when we got attacked by rogues, and we had to vacate the gorge. We then moved to a lake, as we believed that it was what Echosong saw in a vision, but the Twolegs moved there. We've been searching for that spark that remains…and I believe that it is you two that we're looking for."

Noctis and Twigpaw both looked at each other. The rogues that had driven them out of their first home were the same ones who now plagued the Clans. Would they still follow them knowing that?

"Are you alone?" Hawkwing asked Twigpaw. "From his name and well…how he looks, I can assume he's just a kittypet helping you."

"Oh no, Noctis is a really special cat who's helping the Clans. If anything, I think of him as my Clanmate." Twigpaw replied.

"My apologies." The deputy bowed his head towards the black tom. "Then, may I ask what brings you both so far over here?"

"Yeah. The Clans need your help." Noctis stated. "There's a group of rogues causing trouble over there and we think that you're what we need to help us."

"Right. They're led by…Darktail." Twigpaw added. The two could see the horror in the SkyClan cats' eyes. The rogues around the lake were definitely the same ones who drove them out.

"Darktail's…on your territory?" Hawkwing meowed in disbelief. As fast as she could, Twigpaw explained how this whole situation occurred, telling them about Alderheart's journey, and how Darktail tricked them into believing that he led SkyClan.

"We think he followed them back to our territory, and now he's ruining everything!"

"Now I'm _positive_ we need to go to where the Clans are if Darktail's there." Hawkwing said with a growl, unsheathing his claws.

"Were any of you on the quest?" Leafstar asked.

"Noctis wasn't here yet, and I was actually found when Alderheart and the others returned. Violetpaw and I were young, and it seemed like our mother abandoned us…but I'm sure she didn't mean to." She explained. "We think that she might've been hit by a monster and died…" Twigpaw still became choked up when she brought the thought up. "But Alderheart received another vision and said that he saw you, Hawkwing. He said you looked just like me…so I wanted to find you. I had to know more about my kin. I needed to take the chance…" Noctis looked over at Hawkwing and saw the stricken look in his eyes.

"Right…I know for a fact Pebbleshine would never have left abandoned her kits. I know because…she was my mate." Twigpaw's eyes widened in shock, while Noctis let out a smile. _Twigpaw…we did it._

"A-Are you saying that…"

"I'm your father, Twigpaw." The tom meowed, wasting no time in nuzzling his found daughter close. "I…I never thought I'd ever see you. After your mother died…I didn't know what to do anymore…" He looked over at Noctis. "Thank you for helping her come all this way here. You don't know how much this means to me."

"It's nothing. Just doing what I was brought here to do." Noctis told him. "Plus…seeing Twigpaw find her father...it's amazing, if I'm being honest." _Yeah, and I'm acting sappy…but she really deserves this after the hell she's been through._ He then looked over at the SkyClan cats. _But our journey isn't over yet…Not until we make it back to ThunderClan._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Bramblestar led the warriors back to camp as the dawn sky hung above them. He, along with RiverClan and ShadowClan, successfully liberated the RiverClan prisoners and ran the rogues off of RiverClan. Although they were successful, Bramblestar urged Mistystar and her warriors to come back to ThunderClan with them to seek treatment, which she agreed to.

Alderheart walked alongside Kirito, Suguha, Lelouch, and Ivypool as they made their way cautiously through ShadowClan territory. The Clans were victorious, but his chest was still tight with worry about Violetpaw and Needletail. Scorchfur had told them that Violetpaw's plan had failed, and to make matters worse, he didn't see either of the two during the battle, the two apparently being dragged towards the lake by Darktail. He gazed out towards the body of water, dread quickly consuming him. _They…they could be dead…because of me. It was my plan…it was my stupid plan!_

"Alderheart." Lelouch's meow broke through his thoughts. The black tom stopped and placed his tail in the medicine cat's way. "Ivypool, I'm going to have a quick talk with him. Could you tell the others so they're not worried?"

"Are you sure now's the right time? We're passing through ShadowClan." She stated.

"Yeah. It won't take long." She gave her mate a nod and caught up with the others. "Don't blame yourself for what may have happened to Violetpaw and Needletail. There's no way any cat could've predicted it." He assured him, reading his mind exactly.

"How'd you know I was thinking about that?"

"Did you forget about me being a commander back in my world? I've made a copious amount of strategies, but not all of them ended exactly as I expected." He told him. "I don't want to sound full of myself, but I'm sure Squirrelflight and Bramblestar told you stories about me when I first came to this world." Alderheart nodded. "They probably didn't tell you this, but I'd blame myself for the lives lost in that battle with the Dark Forest. I thought that I was supposed to be a savior to the Clans and that no causalities would happen…so each one that I believed could've been prevented took a toll on me."

"But…even though you lost lives before, you still were bothered?"

"Yeah. To this day I still act similar. I tell myself over and over that it wasn't my fault, but at the same time, I kept believing that it was. You remember how I was with Sandstorm." Lelouch let out a small sigh. "Being a medicine cat, you might go through this feeling a lot more…and I know it hurts in the beginning, but you still have to stay strong." Alderheart remembered about how he felt when Purdy passed away. _It feels similar...but…_

"I'll try. Thanks, Lelouch."

"You're welcome. I felt like I was rambling a bit, though."

"It's fine, I get what you were trying to tell me. There are some things that can't be controlled, and I have to try to understand that instead of blaming myself."

"Right, but that doesn't mean you can't show emotion about it all. That's what your Clanmates are for. They help pick you up when you're down and try their best to heal any pain that you're feeling." Alderheart let out a small smile. "C'mon, we should catch up with the others." Lelouch took the lead, Alderheart following behind. _I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about Violetpaw and Needletail still. StarClan, please tell me that they're safe._

Alderheart passed through the thorn tunnel leading into ThunderClan, coming to an immediate stop at the sight of the clearing in the camp. There were so many cats here now, more than when they left, that he was sure of. He then let out a gasp when he saw a familiar black tom, a smaller gray she-cat standing next to him.

 _Noctis…Twigpaw…_ Alderheart rushed forward and dug his muzzle into her shoulder. "Twigpaw…it's really you. I can't believe it…"

"Alderheart, I'm so happy to see you again!" Twigpaw purred.

"I'm still alive too, you know." Noctis said with a hint of laughter. Alderheart looked up at the tom with a smile, wiping his eyes with a paw.

"Thanks for finding her, Noct. You don't know how much this means to all of us."

"Hey, a hero's gotta do what he's gotta do, right?" He meowed. "I think you forgot that Twigpaw wasn't the only cat I found…well, more like, _we_ found." Noctis placed his tail around Twigpaw's shoulder, causing her to let out a little giggle.

"Wait…you both actually found SkyClan?" Alderheart looked around the camp once more. _That would definitely explain why it feels more crowded._ Alderheart then spotted the same dark gray tom he had seen in his dreams approaching them. Once he got a closer look, he was at a loss for words. "A-Are you…"

"My name's Hawkwing. I'm Twigpaw's father."

"And he's SkyClan's deputy!" Twigpaw quickly added. Alderheart bowed his head.

"Welcome to ThunderClan." Noctis looked around the Clan, realizing that RiverClan was now there along with more ShadowClan cats.

"So…what'd we miss while we were gone? It looks like we'll need a lot more space if we're gonna fit everyone in here." Noctis stated.

"It'll get less crowded soon. We just drove Darktail and the rogues out of RiverClan, so they'll get back to their land after they've healed." The medicine cat explained.

"Is Violetpaw still with the rogues?" Twigpaw wondered. Fear coursed through his body once again at the possible thought of Violetpaw being killed by Darktail. He couldn't lie to Twigpaw, not anymore.

"I…I don't know where she is." He admitted. "Before we arrived, Darktail took her and Needletail out to punish them, and no cat knows what happened after."

"What? Why did she need to be punished?" Worry filled the apprentice's meow.

"It's all so complicated, Twigpaw…" Noctis saw Alderheart's gaze filled with dread. _Are you hiding the truth from her, Alderheart? Is Violetpaw dead?_

"Noctis." The black tom turned around to see Bramblestar, along with the other Clan leaders. "It's great to see that you and Twigpaw made it back safe."

"Thanks. Sorry I had to leave without telling you all." The leader shook his head.

"No need to apologize. Alderheart told us everything." He stated. "Especially since you both actually found SkyClan. I never thought we'd see the day where they were reunited with the rest of the Clans."

"Neither did I." Leafstar walked up to join the leaders. "I am Leafstar, leader of SkyClan. We've come a long way in search of the other Clans." Now, cats all around the Clan began to gather around the leaders and talk amongst each other, mostly about SkyClan.

"Where are they going to live?"

"Aren't there too many cats in the forest now?" _Not exactly the welcome SkyClan was probably expecting._ Noctis thought as the unwelcoming clamor continued. Before Bramblestar could say anything, Jayfeather broke through the crowd.

"Can we stop chattering like wild kits? It's obvious what we need to do. We need to speak with StarClan."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The cool leaf-fall breeze blew through Asuna's coat as she and the other medicine cats made their way up the final slope leading to the Moonpool. Alderheart, Jayfeather, Leafpool, Mothwing, and Willowshine were ahead of her, while she stayed behind with Puddleshine.

"I'm so glad that you're okay, Puddleshine. I was so worried about you even after I went to RiverClan with Alderheart and Mothwing." She told the ShadowClan medicine cat.

"I was worried as well. Thank StarClan I'm still alive." He replied. "I just hope this is all over soon. Being with the rogues…I really never knew if I'd live to see another day. It was honestly a miracle for that to just happen." Asuna's heart ached for the medicine cat. Sure, he was safe, but having to endure the fear that he and others were succumbed to was something no cat should have to deal with.

"I'm sorry for leaving you that day, Puddleshine. I knew how the rogues were, so staying wasn't an option. Maybe if I did I could've helped in some way…"

"It's okay, Asuna. Staying behind was my choice. I wanted to be with my family. I don't blame you for leaving at all." He assured her. "Let's catch up with others. This _is_ a pretty important meeting, after all." The two sped up and quickly joined the others as they approached the hollow where the Moonpool was. Once they reached the water's edge, Asuna closed her eyes and touched her nose with the Moonpool.

She opened her eyes and saw that the Moonpool now reflected brilliantly, something it didn't do when they arrived due to the moon not being full tonight. She turned around and looked in awe as cats from StarClan now joined them in the hollow. She spotted a familiar flame-colored pelt and smiled when his green gaze touched her hazel eyes. It was Firestar, the very first StarClan cat Asuna ever spoke with when she first arrived in the forest with Kirito and Suguha. _So many cats I've never seen before. I'm still amazed that I'm able to meet with them._ She thought as she waited with the others to speak. Leafpool wasn't able to wait for the silence to be broken, so she rose to her paws.

"We finally found SkyClan! Are they 'what you find in the shadows'?"

"Yes." Firestar told his daughter. "However, there is more to be done."

"But…what more can we do now? We found SkyClan, so shouldn't we be able to 'clear the sky' now?" Asuna asked.

"Yes, but now there are still four Clans. The reason for this prophecy was so that all five Clans would be together again, much like it was before I came to the forest. SkyClan is missing a medicine cat, but there is another Clan still missing…" The cats slowly began to disappear and as the light died, Asuna looked at the other medicine cats before they left her sight.

Asuna opened her eyes and saw that the Moonpool lost the luster it had in her dream. Mothwing looked at the others, the she-cat being absent in the vision due to not believing in StarClan.

"What happened?"

"We spoke with Firestar." Alderheart answered. "He told us that SkyClan was what we needed to find in the shadows, but we still had more to do. He said that we needed all five Clans to be together."

"It's obvious what we need to do now…" Jayfeather meowed.

"Right." Asuna looked at the other cats. "We need to speak with WindClan."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The morning sun rose the next day, its early sunshine usually being the cause of cats waking up. Bramblestar and the other leaders took a group of uninjured RiverClan cats, along with some volunteer warriors from the other Clans to visit RiverClan's camp and survey the area and begin rebuilding the camp. While he was gone, Squirrelflight led the camp, sending out hunting and border patrols.

Kirito walked towards the ShadowClan border with Sorrelstripe, Lionblaze, Berrynose, and Cherryfall. With the rogues driven out of RiverClan, maintaining ThunderClan's border with ShadowClan was a priority.

"So, how was the journey looking for Twigpaw?" Sorrelstripe asked the black tom.

"Tiring, definitely tiring. I can't remember how many times I asked myself why I volunteered, but remembering that Twigpaw was out there helped me keep going." He responded. "I wish we found Noctis along the way. We could've helped find SkyClan."

"Didn't you just say that it was tiring?" Sorrelstripe questioned, letting out a small giggle.

"Well, yeah, but the goal helps ease that feeling." As they continued talking with each other, Kirito noticed another shadow appear along with theirs. He looked back and saw that it was Lionblaze. "Oh, hey Lionblaze. We're not going the wrong way, right?"

"No, we're on the right route. I was just wondering what you were flirting about with my daughter." A blush immediately appeared on Kirito and Sorrelstripe's face.

"D-Dad!"

"W-We were just talking, I swear! Nothing flirty going on here!" Kirito assured the golden tom, who let out a chuckle. "Right…it was a joke."

"Sorry you two, had to leap at the opportunity."

"I really have to stop speaking with she-cats when their father's nearby. First it was Lelouch with Nightheart, and now you."

"How'd that go?"

"About the same way."

"So…does that mean you _do_ like Sorrelstripe? I mean, that's how it was with Nightheart." Cherryfall added, joining in on the conversation.

"Oh…" Sorrelstripe looked away from Kirito, a small smile and a stronger blush on her face.

"Why is everyone ganging up on me now?!" He wondered, the blush on his face increasing with the added embarrassment. "Don't tell me you have something to add too, Berrynose?"

"I guess I never did ask if anything happened between you and Cherryfall, you know, _my_ daughter." Now, Cherryfall joined the other two, embarrassment quickly being apparent on her face.

"N-Nothing happened between Kirito and I!"

"Why did I agree coming on this patrol with two she-cats and their fathers?" Kirito asked out loud.

"Don't worry, I know you both did nothing. With Lelouch on the journey as well, there's no way Cherryfall paid too much attention to you." Berrynose meowed with laughter.

"D-Dad, this isn't funny anymore!"

"It seems like our daughters have something in common, Berrynose." Sorrelstripe's eyes widened after what Lionblaze said.

"C-Can we just stop talking and get back home already? I don't know how much more of this I can take." The dark brown tabby meowed.

"Agreed." Cherryfall meowed.

The five cats reached ThunderClan's border with ShadowClan and stood there, surveying the area around them. They tasted the air and sensed no rogue scent on their side, which was a relief.

"There's no telling what those rogues will do next. Thank StarClan they haven't been on our territory, or even here in front of us for that matter." Lionblaze meowed.

"Yeah. It'd be better to avoid any sort of conflict until we can get everything situated." Kirito added. "I think we should be able to go back now."

"The coast seems clear enough." Berrynose replied.

"Alright then. Let's report back to Squirrelflight." Lionblaze took the lead again, the other four following behind the golden tom. As they were walking, Kirito's ears suddenly twitched at the sound of rustling bushes. He quickly turned to his left and got into a battle stance, alerting the others and causing them to do the same. _It can't be rogues…unless they masked their scent!_ He realized. Kirito started at the bush carefully, waiting for any sort of cat to appear at any second. They finally watched as a black-and-white she-cat walked out of the bush, Kirito immediately running over to her, a huge smile on his face.

"Violetpaw, you're alive! Oh man, Alderheart and Twigpaw are going to be so happy to see you!" Violetpaw didn't say anything. She just brushed her body close to the tom, letting out a purr of relief.

"Is it really her?" Cherryfall wondered.

"Definitely, I'm sure of it." The black tom assured her.

"Thank StarClan I ran into you, Kirito…I…I didn't think I'd make it back here…"

"Make it back here?" Kirito tilted his head, wondering what she was talking about. "Whatever; what matters is that you're okay! C'mon, I'll take you back with us." Kirito got down to the forest floor and allowed the apprentice to ride on his back.

"Hawkwing's going to be relieved." Lionblaze meowed as the group continued on their way back to ThunderClan.

"Who?"

"We'll let you see for yourself when we get back to ThunderClan." Kirito assured her.

The cats out on border patrol finally passed through the thorn tunnel leading into ThunderClan. Violetpaw's eyes were immediately fixated on Twigpaw as she darted towards the group. She leaped off of Kirito's back and quickly accepted her sister's loving embrace.

"Violetpaw! I can't believe you're alive! I'm sorry that we ever fought!" Twigpaw apologized.

"How do you think I feel? Alderheart told me you might be dead!" She responded. "I'm sorry…sorry for attacking you in the battle and hurting you. I must be the worst sister ever!"

"I don't care about any of that anymore. Every cat from RiverClan says they wouldn't have escaped without your help." Twigpaw meowed. "Everyone was so worried about you. Alderheart said Darktail took you away and we all thought you were dead!"

"Yeah…I would be if it wasn't for Needletail…" Her meow grew solemn. "She sacrificed her life to help me escape from the rogues. Raven followed me, but…I should've stayed behind and helped Needletail…"

"No, she knew the circumstances and fought to save you. You would've wasted that sacrifice." Her sister assured her. "C'mon, there's someone I want you to meet." Violetpaw was guided around the camp by her sister, curiosity filling her mind on who she wanted to introduce her to. She led her to the apprentice's den where a tom was resting. At the sight of the two, he got up and approached the two, a warm smile on his face. "This is Hawkwing. You're not going to believe this, but he's the deputy of SkyClan…and our father!"

"W-What?" Violetpaw looked up at the tom in astonishment. She never knew the day would come. Hawkwing leaned closer to her and touched noses with her.

"I never thought I'd ever be reunited with both my kits…but…here we are." Hawkwing looked at them both, pride in his eyes. "StarClan is good. Being brought back together like this must be a sign. You both can help me rebuild SkyClan!" The three cats heard quick pawsteps approaching and saw that it was Asuna and Alderheart, followed behind by Leafpool and Jayfeather.

"Violetpaw!" Alderheart pressed his muzzle into the she-cat's shoulder. "I'm so glad you're okay." Alderheart brought his head away and looked over at their father. "Did you speak to Bramblestar about this?"

"He isn't here right now. Is there a problem with my request?"

"There could be. They both have allegiances with other Clans."

"Alderheart," Asuna looked over at Hawkwing. "There should be no problem at all. Hawkwing, Twigpaw, and Violetpaw should be able to be together in SkyClan." She looked over at the two apprentices. "…Even though it's going to be hard to see them go."

"We can discuss this all at some other time." Alderheart stated. "Violetpaw, you should come to the medicine cat's den with us. We'll give you some juniper to build your strength. Twigpaw, do you want to get your sister something to eat?" She nodded, and began to follow them, but was stopped by her father. As they were walking over to the medicine cat's den, Asuna walked next to Alderheart.

"Do you really think that Bramblestar and Rowanstar should be able to control where Violetpaw and Twigpaw go?" She whispered.

"They are the leaders of the Clan the two are staying with."

"But they're only with us because you found them. We can't force them not to join Hawkwing. It's not their fault that their mother died." She added.

"I know it sounds wrong, but that's what might happen. If anything, I'm sure you can help convince them to think otherwise." Once they got into the medicine cat's den, Violetpaw was instructed to lie down on one of the nests while Asuna checked on her.

"Thank goodness you only look hungry. I don't see many injuries other than scratches."

"Asuna…"

"Hm?"

"It's about Needletail… She wanted me to tell you that she was sorry for everything she did to you. She blamed herself for everything that happened to me. She really just hoped that you would be able to forgive her." Asuna stopped what she was doing and wiped her eyes with a paw.

"Of course I do…I just wish I'd be able to tell her that..." She meowed. "I'm sorry that me harming her was the last thing you saw before I left, Violetpaw…"

"It's not your fault. She was trying to hurt you back then, Asuna." The apprentice assured her. Alderheart brought out the juniper and placed it in front of her.

"Here, this'll help you feel better." He meowed. "Where is your sister with that fresh-kill?" Alderheart looked outside of the den and saw that his father and the other leaders had returned from RiverClan. From what he was hearing, the leaders were finally agreeing that they needed to attack the rogues now, especially after the RiverClan uprising.

"All cats, all Clans, must unite to drive out the rogues!" Bramblestar stated. Alderheart made his way over to where the leaders were.

"My father's right. _All_ Clans must unite. From what StarClan has told me, our efforts will all be in vain unless we involve one more Clan."

"WindClan…we must speak with Onestar and hope that he finally agrees to help us get rid of the rogues."

"What makes you think that that flea-pelt will want to help us now?" Rowanstar retorted. "We're four Clans, and as long as we know we won't betray one another, we should be fine."

"Like I said, this is what StarClan told me. We need to follow their advice." Alderheart reminded the ShadowClan leader.

"Right. We'll speak with Onestar tomorrow." Bramblestar stepped away from the other leaders, who did the same from each other. Alderheart saw Twigpaw still standing at the fresh-kill pile and walked over to her.

"Hey Twigpaw. You're sister's waiting to eat, y'know."

"Oh shoot! Sorry, Alderheart. I got distracted from the leaders coming back." She picked up a vole and headed towards the medicine cat's den, Alderheart following her. She saw where her sister was and placed the vole in front of her. "Sorry about that, Violetpaw."

"It's okay." The black and white she-cat took a bite from the vole. Twigpaw let out a smile. She was so glad to see her sister again and that they were finally together after everything that had happened between them.

"Oh! I'll be right back. There's more cats who you haven't really met yet!" Twigpaw ran out of the den, Violetpaw wondering who else there was to meet. Was there more SkyClan cats who were related to her in the camp? Twigpaw returned a few minutes later, Lelouch and Noctis both following behind her. Violetpaw barely recognized Lelouch, but when she looked over at Noctis, she quickly turned her gaze away from him.

"Guess she doesn't like me?"

"Violetpaw, what's wrong?" Twigpaw wondered.

"I…I remember him from the battle where I hurt you…"

"Did he do anything to you?"

"No, I just…feel like I made a bad first impression."

"Don't be ridiculous. You had to do what you did or the rogues might've done something to you." Noctis assured her.

"See? Noctis isn't mean at all." Violetpaw let out a small giggle.

"That's a funny name." She then looked over at Lelouch. "What's his name?"

"Oh, that's Lelouch. He was the one sleeping when we were here as kits." Her sister let out a small laugh.

"That's an even funnier name." Violetpaw meowed. "Oh, sorry about that you two."

"It's fine, at least for me." Noctis assured her. "Lelouch does have a funny name, though."

"Of course I do…" The tom said with a sigh. "Just…don't address me as 'funny name' or anything, okay, Violetpaw?" Lelouch asked with a hint of laughter.

"I won't, Lelouch, don't worry." She replied. "It's nice to meet you both."

"Oh, I forgot to mention that you should be extra nice to Noct. He was the one who helped me look for SkyClan." Twigpaw told her before leaning closer. "Plus, y'know…he is pretty handsome." A sudden blush appeared on Violetpaw's face after she took a second glance at the tom.

"It seems like you have a little admirer, Noctis." Asuna said with a small laugh, overhearing Twigpaw.

"A-Asuna!" Violetpaw stammered.

"I don't know, Asuna. They both could be the Lelouch or Kirito type, too." Alderheart added. "I know Twigpaw's definitely the Kirito type, though." A blush now formed on the apprentice's face.

"W-Well…"

"Aw, you really do like Kirito! I think he'll find it cute if I tell him." Asuna teased.

"You'd think helping you on the journey would put me ahead of him." Noctis meowed jokingly. He then noticed the apprentice shift her paws in embarrassment, avoiding his blue gaze. "Wait…I'm actually ahead of him?"

"W-Well of course you are, Noct. You and I went on the journey together, after all." Twigpaw admitted.

"Which means Lelouch is last then." Alderheart let out a small chuckle.

"To be fair, I've been asleep for months. I think I'd be higher than Kirito if I wasn't."

"I don't know about that. You're Ivypool's mate and she's my mentor."

"Really? I think Ivypool would find is as cute as Asuna does, actually." Lelouch stated.

"You should stop trying, Lelouch. I've known her the least and I beat you and Kirito already." Noctis replied with a chuckle. "I'm her favorite prince, and you're gonna have to deal with it."

"Fine. That means I'll be your favorite prince, Violetpaw." The she-cat looked over at the violet-eyed tom and felt her face begin to grow hot. _He's pretty handsome, too…_

"I think she accepts your proposal, Lelouch." Alderheart meowed.

"I-I didn't say that!"

"Good job, Violetpaw. Cut away from royalty and choose Kirito instead." Asuna suggested. "Sorry, Lelouch, but it's gonna take more than a title to be at the top of Violetpaw's list." Violetpaw let out a giggle. _This is the family that Twigpaw had without me here. I'm happy to know that she was in good paws the entire time._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Noctis walked alongside Bramblestar, Leafstar, Rowanstar and Squirrelflight as they approached WindClan's camp. Bramblestar thought that it was a good idea to send all the deputies to speak with Onestar so he wouldn't feel pressured by the other leaders, but his mate had returned saying that he wouldn't speak unless all the leaders were present.

"You helped find SkyClan with Twigpaw. I think you should come and hear what Onestar has to say." The ThunderClan leader told Noctis, inviting the tom to the meeting.

 _Let's hope that Onestar finally reveals why he left the first battle we had with the rogues. More for his sake, he better have a reasonable excuse._ They crossed through a row of bushes and saw the deputies, along with Violetpaw, and Twigpaw at the bottom of the slope.

"Hi Noct. What are you doing here?" Twigpaw wondered.

"Bramblestar invited me. He said it's because I helped you find SkyClan." He answered.

"Awesome! You can sit here with us." Noctis joined Twigpaw, Violetpaw, and Hawkwing in waiting for Onestar to speak with them, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Where is he?"

"He's in his den. He's not speaking until all the leaders are present. We're just missing Mistystar." Hawkwing told him. They saw the bushes at the top of the slope at the opposite end rustle and saw Tigerheart walk through, Mistystar behind him.

"Finally!" Rowanstar muttered. Harespring, WindClan's deputy, walked into Onestar's den and came back out with Onestar behind him. He greeted the leaders before motioning them forward with his tail.

"Maybe we should leave the leaders to hear what he has to say." Hawkwing suggested, looking at the others.

"No." Onestar interjected. "The way you fought proves that you're a worthy warrior."

"What's he talking about?"

"The rogues showed up here, but they weren't a problem at all." Violetpaw explained.

"Yes, and although you weren't here for it, I think every cat needs to hear this." Onestar told him. The others got closer to the WindClan leader, anticipation filling them as they were finally going to learn about what was going through Onestar's mind as of late. "The reason Darktail and rogues are plaguing the Clans…is because of me." He began. "And it goes back to when we used to live in the forest and I was still Onewhisker." Noctis saw that even the WindClan cats looked confused. _He must've not told anyone about this. It has to be something really bad then, right?_

"I never expected to become deputy, or even leader, back then. I felt I was unworthy, and events have further proved that point."

"That's not true at all!" Crowfeather quickly assured him. "You've been an honorable leader all this time!" Despite the tom's kind words, Onestar shook his head.

"When I was a young warrior, I enjoyed performing my usual duties…but I also liked sneaking off to the little Twolegplace. It was fun spending time with the kittypets and impressing them with stories about the Clan." He averted the gazes of the others before finally regaining the strength to speak. "I was never really excellent at fighting or hunting, but the kittypets didn't seem to care. I did exaggerate a bit…but they made me feel good…and it felt great!"

"What does this have to do with Darktail, exactly?" Bramblestar wondered.

"I'm getting to that." He responded. "There was this one kittypet…a she-cat named Smoke. She was beautiful…She had soft gray fur and brilliantly blue glistening eyes!"

Squirrelflight rolled her eyes. "I can see where this is going…"

"The two of us…became more than friends. She loved hearing my stories, and I loved meeting her whenever I could. She was more than happy to be my mate…but I only met her in the Twolegplace. I couldn't bring her to WindClan!"

"What was he thinking?!" Rowanstar whispered to Mistystar.

"Obviously he wasn't."

"Everything was fine…until she told me that she was expecting our kits… Luckily at the time I found her on WindClan's border." He let out a sigh. "She…wanted to join WindClan so that our kits could be raised as warriors. She was so entranced by my stories, but I never mentioned any of the hardships there was to being a Clan cat."

"So…you sent her away then?" Noctis asked, the leader nodding.

"Yes. I did it for her sake. Our relationship was over, and I never visited the Twolegplace again, hoping that this was the last time I saw her."

"But is wasn't the last time, right?" Bramblestar said.

"She came back and found me one more time." They could see the regret and sorrow in the leader's eyes. "She had one single kit with her. She had given birth on her way home after we last spoke, and she got no help from any cat, or any Twoleg. The other kits… _our_ kits…died, all except for one." After seeing how Onestar acted ever since the rogues came, this was the most fragile he had ever been. "Smoke had went back to her Twolegs, but came back once the kit was grown enough to leave her. She pleaded and begged for me to take him, but again…I refused." The leader shook his head in regret. "Smoke turned on me. She said that she'd teach our kit to hate the Clans who rejected him." He hung his head in shame.

"So…the leader of the rogues…is your son?!" Bramblestar meowed in surprise, Onestar nodding his head.

"I thought that I was protecting them both and doing the right thing, but they didn't seem to understand that. Darktail grew up with resentment and loathing for the Clans; a life that he never got the chance to understand." He let out a sigh. "He was able to get a band of rogues and drive SkyClan out of their territory…and when Alderheart and the others arrived at the gorge…he gained all the information needed to find where the Clans were…to find and get revenge on the father who betrayed him and his mother…"

"It all makes sense now. I'm starting to understand why you acted the way you did." Mistystar meowed.

Onestar continued. "When they reached WindClan and attacked us…I knew then that Darktail was my kit. When he attacked me, he whispered, 'I will destroy you, and all of the Clans, for what you did to me.' At that point, I knew the threat he posed to the Clans, which is why I urged you, Rowanstar, to drive him out."

Rowanstar let out a snort. "Maybe if you explained that, I would've been more understanding about it."

"I know…but I couldn't. It then came to Bramblestar telling me to join you all to fend them off. At that point, I was finally ready to drive him away for good…"

"But you ran away in the middle of the battle after he told you something." Noctis stated.

"Yes. I never fought a cat so vicious before. His hatred was all the strength he needed to overpower me." He said. "Like you said…he told me something…He said, 'What do you think would happen to a cat who rejected, and then killed, his own son? Surely that cat would end up in the Dark Forest. Think of that when you are on your last life!' His threat about the Dark Forest was frightening, especially since…I am on my last life." Gasps of shock filled the hollow where they stood.

"What exactly is the Dark Forest?" Noctis whispered over to Twigpaw.

"It's where all the bad warriors go after they die."

"Thought so."

"That's ridiculous!" Rowanstar exclaimed. "The Dark Forest isn't where a leader who protects his Clan from a threat like Darktail goes, no matter if he's kin or not!"

"Right." Kestrelflight meowed. "The Dark Forest was made for cats consumed by evil. You're definitely not one of those cats, Onestar. I could have told you that sooner…if you trusted me enough to be honest about it all."

"I know…and I'm sorry for keeping it away from you…from all of you. Darktail coming here is my fault, and I tried to run away and hide from it all in fear. StarClan has every right to judge me and my many mistakes as a leader...but now that all ends." Noctis could suddenly see a resurgence of courage and strength rekindle inside of the WindClan leader. "I promise that I'll never run away from this problem ever again. Darktail and the rogues need to be dealt with, regardless of what happens to be in the process. They must be stopped for the sake of every Clan."

"So that means—." Bramblestar began, letting out a proud smile.

"Yes…WindClan will fight with the other Clans to get rid of Darktail…once and for all."


	7. Chapter 7: Tenebris in Finem

Chapter 7: Tenebris in Finem

 _Asuna sat by the_ Moonpool with the other medicine cats, waiting to touch her nose with the cool water in front of her. The Clans were finally together, and the medicine cats decided that they would all speak to StarClan as one to prove that they did in fact fulfill their previous request of reuniting all five Clans together again.

"Well…what are we waiting for?" Jayfeather wondered. Asuna let out a small smile at the medicine cat's short temper. Together with the other medicine cats, minus Mothwing, Asuna touched her nose to the water below, this time, the Moonpool feeling warmer than usual, more welcoming that the shimmering cold water that her nose usually made contact with. When she opened her eyes, Asuna noticed that she and the other medicine cats were in a forest glade, sunlight penetrating through the trees above, dappling the ground. She then noticed the cats of StarClan in front of her. She was amazed at how many of them were in their presence.

"SkyClan's ancestors are here too." She heard Leafpool meow. "Now that we've been reunited with them, they can also be reunited with our StarClan." As Asuna continued to take in the moment, Firestar walked forward, beckoning the medicine cats to come closer with his tail. Beside him was a five-pointed leaf, one of the edges bent. It had the same flame colored hue of the past ThunderClan leader's coat.

"Do any of you know what this means?" He asked them, pointing a paw to the one bent point.

"The five points might mean the Clans again, right, Alderheart?" Asuna asked him.

"Right, but the bent corner…I'm unsure about."

"It stands for ShadowClan." Yellowfang answered, padding over next to Firestar. "The five Clans must live in peace on the territory you share, but that can't be done currently with the situation that ShadowClan is in. It has been lost, but now it must be reclaimed. I'm sure you understand what that means."

"Yes. Before we can live peacefully, we must reclaim what was taken from us by the rogues." Alderheart answered.

"Correct." Firestar meowed, nodding his head. "To do that, the Clans must remember their names. Asuna looked over at Alderheart, but he seemed just as confused as she was. _Of course I probably wouldn't understand what Firestar means, not being a native to this world and all…_ She looked at the rest of the medicine cats and saw that they all were just drawing blanks. _At least I'm not the only one._ She saw that the StarClan cats were beginning to fade. _I guess that's the only hint we're getting for now._ The world around the medicine cats finally grew dark as they were being sent back into reality.

Asuna drew her face away from the Moonpool, looking around at the other medicine cats. Jayfeather was the first to break the silence, letting out an irritated growl.

"They really did it again! Why does StarClan always have to be so vague?!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highledge for a meeting of the Clans!" Bramblestar announced. It had been a day ever since the medicine cats received another message from StarClan. When dawn arrived, Bramblestar assembled as many hunting patrols as he could, instructing them to bring as much fresh-kill as they could find. Now that the patrols were finally back, he took the time to address everyone. Noctis sat beside Alderheart and Sparkpelt as they waited for the ThunderClan leader to speak.

"Finally! Bramblestar's going to give the order to attack! He has to!" Sparkpelt exclaimed with excitement.

"Someone seems eager to fight." Noctis meowed.

"Of course I am, Noct! These rogues have been a thorn in our side for so long."

"That's true, Sparkpelt, but we still have no idea what StarClan's message meant when they said we need to 'remember our names'." Alderheart stated. "Noct, has Luna talked to you about anything?" The black tom shook his head.

"After I helped Twigpaw, I haven't spoken to her ever since."

"You and me both, then." The medicine cat thought more about the message. "This must be something that she has no knowledge about…but what?"

"Well while you two play 'decipher the message', I'll be making sure I'm ready for those rogues." She told the two. They heard Bramblestar clear his throat, signaling them to turn their attention up to the leader.

"Every time I lead my Clan into a fight…I hope it's for the last time." He meowed. "This time, I hope I'm right. We all heard what the medicine cats learned at the Moonpool: Every Clan has the same problem. Now, all five Clans are reunited and we charge into battle as comrades to protect the way of life we all cherish." A clamor of cheers broke throughout the Clan, Bramblestar raising his tail to silence them so he could finish his speech. "I've asked for many hunting patrols to ensure that we're all well fed. Now, you all take a short rest to conserve your energy. We head out at sunset." Once he finished, the cats all moved around the Clan again, while Bramblestar made his way over to Squirrelflight.

"We'll see you later, sis. We're gonna go see Twigpaw and Violetpaw." Alderheart told her.

"Okay. Hope you two find out whatever StarClan meant." Alderheart and Noctis walked over to the two sisters, their father also with them.

"Noct, are you ready to fight?" Twigpaw asked, excitement in her meow.

"Ready as I'll ever be. They weren't a problem when I first got here, and since I have some experience as a cat now, it should be even easier." He replied.

"Every time I remember that you're not originally a cat I'm always surprised." Hawkwing said. "Regardless, we're all grateful for risking your life to help the Clans…and for helping Twigpaw find me again." He gave his daughter a small lick to the forehead.

"It's nothing. Besides, I'm not the first one who's come here to help the Clans…but after all this time, I'm glad I was chosen to come here or else I would never have met any of you."

"Aw…Noct!" Twigpaw walked over to the tom and pressed her head close to his coat.

"That…came out a bit too sappy, didn't it?"

"It definitely wasn't Noctis-esque." Alderheart said, letting out a small laugh. "But we feel the same way. We're all glad that we've gotten to know you, Noct."

"Do you know how long you'll be here?" Violetpaw asked. "With Lelouch staying here, I don't need to worry about how much time I have to get to know him…"

"Honestly, I don't know the answer to that question, Violetpaw." Noctis replied. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you have plenty of time to know about me after this battle." He assured her. They suddenly heard Whitewing let out a meow of excitement.

"I have an idea!" The white she-cat got to her paws and darted over to where Bramblestar and Squirrelflight were resting.

"I wonder what her idea is." Noctis looked over at Birchfall and saw that he was just as confused. Hawkwing got up and arched his back, stretching out his limbs as well.

"This is enough rest." He meowed. "In SkyClan, we immediately get into the fight. The more we wait, the more the nervousness builds up, which is never good for battle."

Twigpaw blinked at her father. "How did SkyClan get its name?"

"We were named after Skystar, a cat that lived long ago, who was also our first leader." He said. "Regardless of how we got our name, there was no doubt that we lived up to it. We'd launch attacks from above. If there were trees or tall rocks, we were definitely going to utilize them."

"Sounds like my type of fighting." Noctis meowed. He looked over at Alderheart, the tom's eyes suddenly lit up, his mouth open in awe. "Alderheart, what's up?"

"That's what StarClan meant, Noct! C'mon, I have to tell Bramblestar!" Quickly getting to his paws, Alderheart followed behind Whitewing. "Leafpool! Jayfeather! Asuna! Puddleshine! Mothwing! Willowshine! I found out what StarClan meant!" As they approached Bramblestar, Whitewing turned around.

"What did you find out, Alderheart?" The she-cat wondered.

"I'll tell you all once the others get here." Now, the medicine cats all began to come together around Bramblestar, waiting for Alderheart to speak. Once he saw that everyone was there, he let out a breath. "When StarClan said that we needed to remember our names, they meant that we have to remember how they were given to the Clans." He stated. "I heard Hawkwing talking about how SkyClan liked to attack from above and it made me realize that in this battle, each Clan needs to fight based on the techniques that help them live up to their names!"

"Just like I was saying RiverClan should do!" Whitewing meowed. "They should hide in the water and catch the rogues by surprise!"

"Hide in water? Could they stay under for that long?" Noctis wondered.

"How else do you think we catch fish over there?" Willowshine added, letting out a small laugh.

"Alderheart, Whitewing, both your ideas are brilliant and do make sense in the context of what StarClan has told the medicine cats. I believe that I need to speak with the other leaders and deputies before we go any further." Alderheart nodded, smiling as he understood yet another vision from StarClan. The medicine cats, Whitewing, and Noctis walked away from Bramblestar, returning to what they were doing before Alderheart's announcement.

"You never cease to amaze me, Alderheart." Asuna meowed, causing the tom to blush.

"T-Thanks, Asuna." As Asuna left, Noctis poked the tom with his tail. "Yeah?"

"You like Asuna, don't you?" A blush formed on Alderheart's face.

"W-well yeah. She's one of the nicest cats I know."

"Alderheart!" The two saw Suguha running over to them. "Hi! I was just wondering what you were talking about over there. You made a bit of a commotion, after all."

"O-oh, sorry about that. I just understood what StarClan was trying to tell us. They wanted each Clan to use their own specialized fighting techniques in order to fight the rogues."

"Really? I didn't know each Clan had their own." Suguha let out a smile. "I wouldn't expect less from you, Alderheart." The she-cat gave him a lick on the forehead, a blush forming on his face. "I'll see you two later!" As Suguha ran back to talk with Nightheart, Noctis looked over at Alderheart.

"Oh…you don't like Asuna…you like Suguha, right?" Noctis let out a sly smile.

"Y-Yeah…but please don't tell her that!"

"Your secret's safe with me." He assured the medicine cat.

"So…who do _you_ like, Noct?"

"W-What? Me?" Noctis was taken by surprise at Alderheart's question. "Nobody. Don't you remember and Luna and I are a thing?"

"True, but Kirito has shown that he's had some feelings for Nightheart, even though he's with Asuna."

"Well I'm not Kirito, so there. Next question." Alderheart let out a laugh. _Noct, I really hope you're still staying here after the battle. I know you came to this world to help bring peace to the Clans, but I don't know what I'd do if my best friend suddenly left._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The sky grew dark above the forest, not only because dusk approached, but because the clouds above were gray, teeming with rain. The Clans began their advance onto ShadowClan territory, the final battle approaching. Noctis' nose scrunched at the rogue scent on ShadowClan's land. _It might just be because I'm a cat, but this scent is really annoying._ The cats came to a halt as Bramblestar raised his tail. The ThunderClan leader turned around and signaled the cats to all huddle together. Every cat seemed eager to get the battle over with.

"Are you ready?" Bramblestar asked, glancing over at Leafstar. The SkyClan leader nodded and leaped up to a nearby pine tree, motioning her tail to tell her Clanmates to follow her. This was how SkyClan would contribute, exactly like the story Hawkwing told back at camp. Noctis heard a hiss from above and saw that it was Hawkwing looking down at his daughters.

"Do you want to join me? I'd feel better knowing you both are close." He meowed. Violetpaw shook her head.

"I know this territory like the back of my paw. I think I'd be better down here."

"Very well. Be safe." He said before looking over at his other daughter. "Twigpaw?" She responded by climbing up the branch next to her father. Noctis summoned a transparent blue lance in front of him and flicked it towards the branch the two were sitting on, disappearing from their view and appearing right next to Twigpaw.

"Hope you both don't mind if I join you. I think I'm a bit of an aerial expert." He told them.

"We could use as much paws as we can." Hawkwing responded. "Both of you just follow my lead." Hawkwing began to leap from branch to branch, followed by his daughter and Noctis. Looking down, Noctis could see the other cats advancing on the rogue camp. _This is unlike anything I've ever seen before, especially when RiverClan enters battle._ He thought. Noctis looked over at Twigpaw and touched her shoulder with his tail.

"You ready?"

"I think so." She replied, shuffling her forepaws.

"You'll be fine, and don't worry, I'll keep my eyes on you better than our first battle against the rogues." The black tom assured her. "You'll get out of here without a scratch." Twigpaw let out a smile. She was glad to have Noctis here beside her. They had been through so much together.

"Noctis, Twigpaw, our job is to intercept the rogues when they attempt to escape at an angle." He explained. The three waited for a few more moments until a yowl broke throughout the forest. They watched as the rogues all stumbled to their paw, the Clans intrusion being a rude awakening to them. In a matter of seconds, the hollow was filled with fighting cats, ThunderClan leading the first attack, while WindClan flanked the rogues. ShadowClan waited at the top of the slope, ready to fight any rogues who tried to escape. Noctis watched the whole battle unfold. The Clans were winning. As he was watching, he noticed a red glow in his view. He looked around and saw that it came from Molewhisker, a red aura surrounding him. _What is that? Maybe Kirito or Suguha did something to him._ He guessed. As he was watching, Noctis missed Hawkwing's attack on one of the rogues below, Twigpaw being the only cat on the branch with him, cheering as her father was victorious.

Noctis flinched at the sudden drop of water that splashed on his face. He looked up and saw that the rain finally began to pour.

"Oh no…" He looked over at Twigpaw, whose sudden elation faded.

"What is it?"

"The rain. It'll making fighting a lot harder, and our movements will be slowed because our fur will be heavier." She explained.

"But, the same goes for the—Twigpaw!" Noctis shouted as he saw the apprentice leap down from the tree. He saw that she was running into the fray, saving her sister from an attack from one of the rogues. He leaped down from the tree and watched as another rogue crept from the side, claws unsheathed, ready to spill blood.

"Twigpaw, watch out!" Violetpaw yelled. Without hesitation, Noctis ran, quickly conjuring his lance and throwing it as fast as he could. As it flew between Twigpaw and the rogue, it disappeared, Noctis taking its place. The ring around his neck glowed and when the rogue's claw connected with his shoulder, a bright light surrounded Noctis, the rogue being knocked back. The ring lost its glow, Noctis standing in front of Twigpaw, panting for his breath. He looked back at the rogue Twigpaw had been fighting, his glare intimidating enough to cause him to run off.

"Noctis…thank you." Twigpaw meowed, pressing to the side of the tom. She then looked at his left foreleg and noticed the glowing red cracking on his fur. "Oh StarClan, you're not hurt, are you?"

"Me? This is nothing. You look okay. What about you, Violetpaw?" He asked.

"I'm okay. Thanks for helping, Noct." Violetpaw stared at the ring around the tom's neck. "What is that thing?"

"I'll explain it after the battle." He told them. Lightning flashed above, illuminating the fight between Onestar and Darktail.

"Kin, retreat! You all deserve to survive!" Darktail yelled to his comrades. He broke away from Onestar, the rest of the rogues and some of the ShadowClan warriors who betrayed their Clan following behind. Noctis let out a sigh.

"If only they knew what they were getting into." The two sister both snickered.

"Everyone! Follow Darktail!" Bramblestar yowled.

"I guess that means we're back up in the trees, Twigpaw." The tom told her.

"Yup. Be safe, Violetpaw!"

"I will! You both do the same!" Violetpaw ran off, following the other ShadowClan cats, while Twigpaw and Noctis leaped from tree to tree in pursuit of the fleeing rogues. They reached the edge of the forest, the pebbly shore of the lake in front of them. The rogues had just broke through the forest.

"This is the part I've been waiting for!" Twigpaw meowed, shaking her fur off.

"Hey, just because I'm not normally a cat doesn't mean I like getting my fur wet!" Noctis told her jokingly, the she-cat giving him a small push. The two watched as from the shallow parts of the lake, RiverClan cats rose, cutting off the last of the rogues' escape routes. The rogues turned around and attempted to retreat back into the forest, only to run into Bramblestar, Onestar, and the rest of the Clan cats, arranged in a wall. Onestar leaped forward, every cat following his movement. Some of the rogues dodged any sort of conflict and ran away, letting out shrieks of terror as they fled. Only Darktail had stood his ground.

Onestar stepped forward, every warrior backing away from the father and son.

"You would never have made it as a warrior." Onestar spat. "You were better off being a kittypet, just like your mother." Letting out a angered snarl, Darktail initiated the fight, leaping towards the WindClan leader. They collided in a flurry of hits, the two rolling down the pebbly shore of the lake. Water began to splash through the air as they took their fight into the lake, slowly moving deeper and deeper into the rippling water. Small glimpses of either cats' head, paws, or tail could be seen still, but it all suddenly stopped. Every cat lined up at the shore, the waves clashing with their paws as they waited for any sign of life.


	8. Epilogue

Epilogue

 _The bright morning sun_ rose above ThunderClan the day after the final battle with the rogues. Both Onestar and Darktail never returned from their fight in the lake, the WindClan cats sitting vigil on the battlefield immediately after the battle ended. Now the Clans could finally breathe easy. Peace finally was restored to the lake territories.

Noctis sat down in the clearing of ThunderClan's camp, eating a vole alongside Suguha and Nightheart.

"How'd you both sleep last night?" Nightheart asked the two.

"Pretty much as good as usual. It helps that the battle was exhausting, too. Jumping and warping takes up more energy than you think."

"Last night wasn't the best sleep for me. I still can't believe that Onestar risked his life to kill Darktail." Suguha answered. "How about you, Nightheart? I remember seeing you use your Geass to protect Molewhisker last night."

"Oh…I'm okay. Thank StarClan it wasn't as deadly as Kirito's injury." She meowed.

"So that's what I saw. I thought it was from Kirito or Suguha."

"That's understandable. Geass is a power my father has, too, but his works differently. I was born with it, but father says that it's normally not inheritable." Nightheart told the tom. "Speaking of protecting, you did the same thing last night, Noctis."

"Yeah. What was that, anyway? The way you protected Twigpaw was so bright and flashy."

"Oh, that was this." He grabbed the chain for his ring in his mouth and lifted it up to show the two. "It's been passed down from my family. I was the last one to use it. One of the powers I get from it allows me to block attacks, and I think it's the only one I'd ever really use in this world. The other two things would be unnecessary to use here."

"Is your foreleg going to heal?" Nightheart asked, noticing the scarring formed on his left foreleg from using the Ring of the Lucii.

"Yeah, no need to worry about it at all." He assured her. "It'll just take time. It's nothing medicine can fix." As Noctis went to take a bite of his vole, the three noticed Molewhisker approach them.

"Hey you three." He greeted before connecting his gaze with Nightheart. "I just…came to thank you again for taking that attack for me, Nightheart." He meowed, looking at the injury on her shoulder that should have belonged to him. "I was just wondering why you did it."

"Why wouldn't I? I saw that you were in a bit of trouble, so I used my Geass." She replied. "I don't want you to think I did it because you're not a great warrior, Molewhisker. I'd protect my friends whenever I have the chance to do so."

"Right, yeah, I should've known that's why." He looked around, wondering what else he could say. "Well…I really just wanted to thank you again, that's all."

"It's no trouble at all. It'll heal quickly." She assured him, letting out a smile. The tom returned it before making his way back to where Cherryfall was, a smile on his sister's face.

"Nightheart…do you think…Molewhisker likes you?" Suguha thought, causing the she-cat to blush.

"W-What? No, of course not!"

"I don't know. Maybe that's why you protected him last night." Noctis added. "Do _you_ like him?"

"Yes, but as a friend! You're the last one I expected to tease me like this, Noctis." The black tom let out a small laugh. As they continued talking, Alderheart approached them, a mouse in his jaw.

"Hi Alderheart. How's the medicine cat's den?" Suguha asked.

"Great, well, other than the usual Jayfeather, but what can you do?" He said before taking a bite of his mouse. "You all seem well after the battle. No major injuries or anything, except for Noct, but he already explained it to me." He looked over at the tom. "Noct…do you know when you'll be leaving?" The black tom shook his head, joy filling inside of Alderheart.

"Luna hasn't spoken to me yet, so maybe my work here isn't done." He replied. "That could be the same for you, Suguha."

"Right, well, I still can't open a menu interface like Kazuto or Asuna, so I think that's safe to say, too." Noctis looked up and noticed Tigerheart approach them.

"I don't mean to interrupt or anything, but I just wanted to say bye before I left." He said. "It was nice meeting you, Noctis. I'll need to watch out for you in battle if it ever comes to it."

"Don't worry, I'll try to make it a fair fight if it comes to it." Noctis replied with a small laugh.

"You must be so relieved to go back home, Tigerheart." Suguha meowed.

"Yeah. It's gonna take some time for things to get back to normal, though. Hopefully it all goes by swiftly and smoothly."

"If you ever need help, I'm sure Bramblestar won't mind lending a paw over there." Nightheart meowed.

"I'm sure we'd appreciate it, although we owe ThunderClan a lot as of late." He replied. "Speaking of which…" He turned his gaze over to the medicine cat's den. "I'll see you all again soon. Thanks for everything." The four cats waved as he headed towards the medicine cat's den. As he made his way through the brambles, he poked his head through and saw the other three medicine cats working, but they didn't seem as busy as he thought.

"Hi Tigerheart." Asuna greeted him with a smile.

"Hey. I was wondering if I could talk with you for a bit."

"If it gets you out of here sooner, go ahead." Jayfeather told him.

"Don't mind him." Asuna said before she followed the tom outside into camp. "So…"

"Oh, well, I just wanted to say bye since ShadowClan's finally rid of the rogues and all." He said. "It's hard to believe we've been in the same camp together for so long, and now we're finally going our separate ways."

"I know what you mean. You've been so kind to me while I was in ShadowClan, Tigerheart. Thank you so much for making me feel at home." A blush formed on the tom's face.

"It's nothing. Like I've said before, you were a huge help to us by being our interim medicine cat. We all can't thank you enough for that." He told her. "I'm gonna miss you, Asuna."

"I'll miss you too, Tigerheart. We've become amazing friends after all the time I spent in ShadowClan." She replied. "Oh, I almost forgot that you're the deputy now! You make sure to keep everything in order for Rowanstar then, alright?" He nodded, letting out a smile. Asuna pressed her chin onto his shoulder, causing him to blush. She looked up and noticed his embarrassment, causing her to jump back. "Sorry! I wasn't sure how cats say goodbye! Twolegs say bye with hugs and that's what I've been doing, but I thought I'd switch to something more cat-like."

"N-No, it's okay. It's just…" Asuna followed his gaze and saw that he was looking over at Dovewing.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Tigerheart! I hope she doesn't get the wrong idea." He shook his head.

"It's fine. I think she knows well enough that you and Kirito are together." Tigerheart looked over at her and saw she had a paw over her mouth as if she was laughing. "Yup, she's definitely laughing at me right now."

"Well, I don't want to hold you back from her. Plus, Jayfeather probably already is wondering what's taking me so long." She said with a giggle. "I guess I'll see you at the next Gathering, Tigerheart. I hope you and Dovewing figure something out."

"Thanks, Asuna." The two went their separate ways, Tigerheart heading over to say goodbye to Dovewing before he finally headed back to ShadowClan. From afar, Ivypool kept her eyes on the two, Lelouch sitting next to her.

"Ivypool…I know the warrior code says it's wrong, but you have to see that they love each other." He meowed.

"She could be just as happy here..." The silver and white tabby responded. "I just don't want her getting in serious trouble if things escalate between them. We just got rid of the rogues. The last thing we need is another problem between ThunderClan and ShadowClan." Lelouch let out a sigh. _There's no persuading her. Her heart's in the right place, but it's also in the wrong place as well._ "I know you're just trying to help Lelouch, but my mind's made up about this all."

"Yeah, I can tell." He replied. _The rogues are finally out of the forest. Now's the time to ask her._ "Ivypool…can we stop paying attention to those two and talk for a moment?" She nodded.

"Of course. I'm sorry that this Dovewing and Tigerheart thing is taking over, Lelouch. It seems like that's all we've been talking about lately." She apologized. "So…what did you want to talk about?" Ivypool gave Lelouch her undivided attention.

"Oh…well…you don't need to say yes, but…" Ivypool let out a giggle.

"This must be serious if you seem so flustered."

"Sorry…" The tom cleared his throat. "There's going to be a lot of new kits running around camp soon, and hopefully it's safer now that the rogues are gone."

"Okay…" Ivypool couldn't tell what the tom was getting at. Lelouch let out a sigh and touched his violet gaze with her blue eyes.

"What I'm trying to say is...well…I was wondering if…you'd…like to expand our family." He finally confessed, looking away from her, his face hot with embarrassment.

"R-Really?" Ivypool's eyes seemed to gleam with joy at the suggestion.

"Y-Yeah." He brought his gaze back to hers, her tone granting him confidence. "After Blossomfall and Thornclaw had their kits, and then after Lionblaze and Cinderheart told everyone they were expecting kits, I felt like I was missing that in my life. I'll never stop loving Nightheart, but…I want to be by your side raising our kits from birth up until they're grown."

"Lelouch…of course I'd love to! I just didn't expect you to be the one asking…" A blush formed on the tom's face.

"Trust me, I never thought I'd be the one to ask, either." He replied, but he noticed her gaze escape his.

"I just…don't think now is the best time to have them." She added, the tom's ears falling flat.

"Oh…"

"B-But like I said, I'd love to! It's only because we're nearing leaf-bare and the cold would give us more to worry about when it comes for caring about them. They could easily get sick."

"Right…I hadn't thought of that…and you'd probably be prone to sickness as well…" He meowed, embarrassed that he was so excited to ask his mate that he didn't consider the circumstances. Noticing this, Ivypool gave her mate a lick to the cheek, letting out a smile when the violet gaze she loved so much returned to her.

"So…what are you expecting to have?" She wondered. "I think I wouldn't mind having a tom running around trying to be his father."

"I was hoping for a tom and another she-cat, but I'd be fine with anything, honestly." Lelouch looked over towards where Nightheart was sitting. "How do you think she'll react?"

"Well when you arrived you remember how happy she was. I'm sure she'd act the same knowing that she'd be an older sister." Ivypool pressed her head onto her mate's shoulder. "I love you, Lelouch. I'm so excited to raise our first litter of kits together."

"I love you too, Ivypool. I hope you weren't exaggerating when you told me those stories about Nightheart. I'm a bit excited for that." Ivypool let out a giggle and gave him a lick on the cheek.

"Well now that you're staying here, maybe everything will be much easier."

Noctis, Violetpaw, and Twigpaw watched as the last of ShadowClan departed from ThunderClan to finally return and reconstruct their camp. He watched as Hawkwing approached, a smile on his face.

"The fighting is finally over and SkyClan is reunited with the four other Clans again." He began. "Violetpaw, Twigpaw, when SkyClan establishes its new territory, I want you both to live with me there. You were born to SkyClan cats after all. That's where you both belong." Noctis looked at the two, but saw uncertainty in their eyes as they looked at each other. Why was it such a hard choice for them to make? He then saw Violetpaw's gaze turn over to the leaving ShadowClan cats. _That's right, ThunderClan and ShadowClan are the Clans that raised them…but if it means that they'll never be separated again, the choice should be easy, right?_ Hawkwing seemed to notice the same indecisiveness in his daughters and nuzzled them both.

"You both don't need to decide now. I can understand that the choice might be a bit too much at the moment." He said. "But, I just want you both to know that you're both growing up to be fine young warriors. Your mother would be proud." The two sisters smiled. "That's what I like to see. Just know that there will always be a place for you both in SkyClan, I promise." He looked up at Noctis. "You too, Noctis. You've helped Twigpaw so much. I can't thank you enough."

"Wow, I appreciate it, really." Hawkwing turned around and saw that Leafstar was calling him. Hawkwing gave his daughters a quick nuzzle before walking over to where the SkyClan leader was.

"So…if I go to SkyClan…would you go too, Noct?" Twigpaw asked, turning around to face the tom.

"Of course you would want that, Twigpaw." Violetpaw teased, causing her sister to blush.

"Yeah, I don't see why not." Noctis replied. "ThunderClan already has so many cats from other worlds, and SkyClan might appreciate the help I can offer." _Especially since SkyClan is getting situated in a territory already holding four Clans. This definitely means change is coming. The Clans banded together because they were against a common enemy, but now that the sky is cleared...could the addition of SkyClan end up being a problem?_ Noctis looked over at Twigpaw and Violetpaw, the two sharing a quick laugh with each other. _For their sake, I hope not._

* * *

I hope that you all enjoyed this third installment of this series. We're already halfway through and there's still room for plenty of things to happen, and to introduce some more new cats as well. Thank you all for sticking around this far, and hopefully you'll be here to see this story reach its conclusion. I'll see you all in Turn 4.


End file.
